tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49991025282259957842018-02-04T09:00:48.780-08:00Girl Meets LightsaberGeeky musings from a life long geek girl and entertainment reporter.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-80982315895199064062014-04-29T14:40:00.001-07:002014-04-29T18:16:19.294-07:00Only One New Female Cast Member in Star Wars? I'm So Tired of Having This Argument.UPDATE: Sources told <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-vii-casting-699924" target="_blank">THR</a> that there is "another substantial role" to fill and that the role is for a female. So that would be 3 out of 14. Just thought I'd let you all know.<br /><br />I love Star Wars. I always have. My favorite toy as a kid was my Princess Leia action figure. My favorite book was my Star Wars retelling. I was Princess Leia for Halloween, donut hair and all. I've talked about it on <a href="http://geeknation.com/podcasts/far-far-away-ep-13-ladies-night/" target="_blank">podcasts</a>. I've been a big and very loud part of the Star Wars community. I'm known for having lightsabers and a Boba Fett helmet in my trunk at all times. Heck, <i>look at the name of my blog!</i>&nbsp;I don't think my fandom is in question. So please understand that I'm saying this as someone who loves the franchise. WHY THE HELL IS THERE ONLY ONE NEW FEMALE CAST MEMBER IN STAR WARS: EPISODE VII?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53CIurF4Un0/U2AWUuo0tlI/AAAAAAAAETs/S9wsQYvMLvs/s1600/Me+and+Boba+Fett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53CIurF4Un0/U2AWUuo0tlI/AAAAAAAAETs/S9wsQYvMLvs/s1600/Me+and+Boba+Fett.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br />The announcement of the cast happened today on StarWars.com:<br /><br />"<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6;">The</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6;">&nbsp;</span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: inherit;">Star Wars</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6;">team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.</span><br /><div data-textannotation-id="76d400bc9bc2276e091e353db31f7ffb" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.</div><div data-textannotation-id="b5881f6e5f7fdb71ca928be33374a734" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">Star Wars</em>: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."</div><div data-textannotation-id="93ddddc3e43d631ee540cbe94602662c" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">Star Wars</em>: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015."</div><div data-textannotation-id="93ddddc3e43d631ee540cbe94602662c" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RgAkoz7t2zk/U2AWpl1NSnI/AAAAAAAAET0/9mVIq3O2m3g/s1600/Star+Wars+table+read.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RgAkoz7t2zk/U2AWpl1NSnI/AAAAAAAAET0/9mVIq3O2m3g/s1600/Star+Wars+table+read.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, that is 13 announced cast members and two of them are women. Oh my god, I am so tired of having this argument. You think it gets tedious when I constantly talk about the way women are represented in film or how they're <i>not</i>&nbsp;represented? Imagine how tedious it is to continue to see the same things almost every time a freaking film is announced!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Are we not 51% of the population? (Can we assume that this is also the case in the universe of Star Wars, at least with the humanoids?) Not to say (as <a href="http://twitter.com/devincf" target="_blank">Devin Faraci</a> says so eloquently in <a href="http://badassdigest.com/2014/04/29/whose-girlfriend-will-the-one-new-female-star-wars-cast-member-get-to-be/" target="_blank">his piece on the subject</a>) that we should be giving a list of demands for all writers, but I'd say the balance is a bit off. Wouldn't you?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rgxqybxV0bs/U2AYojzRRtI/AAAAAAAAEUA/sjhGDwpIa48/s1600/Star+Wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rgxqybxV0bs/U2AYojzRRtI/AAAAAAAAEUA/sjhGDwpIa48/s1600/Star+Wars.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As a kid, I played Star Wars in my backyard. My girlfriends and I had to make some of the male characters female to do so. (I was a pretty kick-ass lady Han Solo, if I do say so myself.) I had to do the same thing when I played as Lady Jason in Battle of the Planets. We just weren't represented. In the seventies, this could be excused. I'll even give a pass to the prequels, though I was angry about it at the time. (My anger over that was eclipsed by my anger over all the other stuff in the films.)&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But guys, the Internet is here. It has been for a while and we female sci-fi fans aren't exactly quiet about what we love. There is simply no excuse for this. The Extended Universe is full of amazing female characters. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is as well. (For the record, I'm totally fine with not using the EU for the story. I'd like to be surprised, too, though I'm sad to know we won't get Mara Jade.) We female fans of not just Star Wars, but sci-fi in general are loud and legion. We cosplay as Slave Leia and Senator Leia. We cross play as Han Solo and C-3P0. We play all the video games. (Yes, I played KOTOR on both the Light and Dark Sides. As a woman.)&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jup6AluTmUU/U2AaXomQk7I/AAAAAAAAEUM/Q9IdFS7utAE/s1600/Princess+Leia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jup6AluTmUU/U2AaXomQk7I/AAAAAAAAEUM/Q9IdFS7utAE/s1600/Princess+Leia.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm honestly heartbroken. I've been proud of my Star Wars fandom for my entire life and I'm crushed to know that the one big failing of the films, the lack of female characters, is going to continue. I don't have children, but I do have a young niece (who loves both My Little Pony and Transformers: Rescue Bots) who isn't going to see herself in the film the way my nephew will. My nephew, who will see mostly boys having adventures isn't going to be affected positively either. My niece, like I did with the original trilogy, may end up loving it anyway, but unlike me, she has far more choices. She's got Frozen. She's got Hunger Games. She's got female-driven comedies. She's got most of the shows on Syfy, with kick-ass (and not-kick-ass because every sci-fi lady doesn't need to be perfect, strong or a good guy) women and many of them. She doesn't need your Star Wars if she doesn't see herself.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, J.J. Abrams, Disney, Kathleen Kennedy, prove to me that you hear me and everyone else talking about this. Don't use the argument that she'll be one of the leads so we'll be represented. (So was Leia in a sea of men.) Don't tell me that this is leading to more ladies in future films. (If we're half the population, we're <i>always</i>&nbsp;half the population and seeing women in a film shouldn't be a reward for patience.) Show us something else. Be better. Tell your female fans that you hear us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">May the Force be with you.</div><div data-textannotation-id="93ddddc3e43d631ee540cbe94602662c" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.6; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;"><br /></div><br />Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-12084424913568956972013-12-09T16:49:00.000-08:002013-12-10T10:53:28.420-08:00I Hate TEAVANA, or My Epic Customer Service Experience From Hell<b>UPDATE: </b>I was called by Latonya at Teavana this morning and not only did she apologize profusely for the issues I've had, but she completely took care of the situation. I think it's important to post when things go well as well as when they go badly. Thanks Latonya. I appreciate the help.<br /><i><br /></i><i>I was going to re-write the experience I had with Teavana, a.k.a. the company with the worst customer service in history, but I thought you'd get it from the email I just sent. FYI: This leaves out the hours I've spent on hold with them.&nbsp;</i><br /><br />&nbsp;To whom it may concern,<br /><br />&nbsp;I have never, in my life, dealt with a worse company. Here is what happened to me and I'd like this resolved immediately. On 12/2 (Cyber Monday), I ordered a present from your site for my mother's birthday, which was the 5th. I chose 2 day shipping and placed my order. Not only did the final confirmation on the site give me the wrong shipping (they gave me the free one, but it wouldn't have gotten there in time), but I got no confirmation email.<br /><br />&nbsp;I sent an email to customer service and learned from the automatic response that it would take 2-3 days to hear back. I sent another email saying I needed one faster and finally got through to a person.<br /><br />&nbsp;This person told me that she was sorry and that the site was having issues. (I'd seen this on Twitter). I had to pay for overnight shipping (it would go out Tuesday, Dec. 3 and arrive Wednesday, Dec. 4). Nothing was comped, but she ran my card right there. On Wednesday night, I received an email saying there was a problem with my payment and that it hadn't shipped. I PAID FOR OVERNIGHT SHIPPING and I only hear about this AFTER it was supposed to be there. (Also, I checked with my credit card company and they said no one ever tried to run a purchase.) I emailed them back and again got the 2-3 business day response. Can you see why I was frustrated?<br /><br />&nbsp;Now, I have 15.6k Twitter followers, so I said something about your customer service there. Got a super quick response then. I finally spoke to someone and she ran a different card, put in extra tea and waived the shipping. (It would still have been late for her birthday.) She apologized, but I was on hold for a half an hour. She came back on and said that her computer froze during the transaction, but that it DEFINITELY went through. Also important: She confirmed my mother's address as the shipping address.<br /><br />&nbsp;Then I checked my card and saw two charges. One for the product and one for a different amount . I went back on twitter and was told that one was to see if I had enough funds for the transaction. Seriously? [<i>Note: leaving out the prices here, but neither of them was a round number.</i>] You have got to be kidding me. I then asked that a manager call me. When he did, he was rude. (To be fair, I was pretty angry.) He told me that it was like being at a hotel. I explained that that was to cover mini-bar charges or stolen remotes. You sell TEA! Then he told me my OTHER card didn't go through. Also, a complete lie unless your site is having trouble. (You'll see in a moment why I KNOW it's a lie.)<br /><br />&nbsp;I told him to cancel the order because I had had enough. I tried to order the perfect teamaker from Amazon, only to find out that they didn't have it and didn't know when it was coming back. I got something similar from another company. I also ordered your tea (my mother's favorite) and tried to get it shipped overnight (since my mother had been waiting for her birthday present), but of course, there was a stock issue. Still, I spent the money at Amazon.<br /><br />&nbsp;So today, guess what showed up at MY door in California and not in NY at my mother's house? The order. So, after canceling the order, here it is, IN THE WRONG PLACE. Charges are still on my credit card. Now, I spent the money at Amazon because you guys screwed up. Now I'm going to have to return this? Have someone contact me immediately.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-23895260167273349902013-11-11T13:15:00.005-08:002013-11-11T13:15:59.006-08:00The Pretender Panel From Comikaze Expo 2013!Hey guys! As many of you know, I've been lucky enough to become a part of The Pretender universe. It all started when my good friend <a href="http://twitter.com/valeriewhitlok" target="_blank">Valerie Whitlock</a> introduced me to show creator <a href="http://twitter.com/pretendersteve" target="_blank">Steven Long Mitchell</a> to get him on social media.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8JNkN7l10I/UoFIZWTMQnI/AAAAAAAAD5c/645_l-QcSxY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-11+at+1.00.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8JNkN7l10I/UoFIZWTMQnI/AAAAAAAAD5c/645_l-QcSxY/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-11-11+at+1.00.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />What I didn't realize at the time was that I'd not only find wonderful friends in Steve and co-creator <a href="http://twitter.com/craigvansickle1" target="_blank">Craig W. Van Sickle</a>, but that I'd end up helping to create the history of The Centre. It was announced a little while ago that I will be writing a series of graphic novels (yes, they'll be cannon) about the origin of the Centre and a certain object that links it all together. I recently did a 10 page preview with art by the insanely talented <a href="http://twitter.com/planethenderson" target="_blank">Jeffrey Henderson</a>. I'm so excited! I don't have a release date yet as I'm still writing them, but I promise I'll get you the info as soon as I can.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSVDV8JVRZQ/UoFIhEjeU5I/AAAAAAAAD5k/K-IpcL78gOE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-11+at+1.08.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSVDV8JVRZQ/UoFIhEjeU5I/AAAAAAAAD5k/K-IpcL78gOE/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-11-11+at+1.08.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />In the meantime, check out the panel Steve, Craig and I did at Comikaze Expo 2013 to get all the info on what's coming! Also, check out the official website: <a href="http://thepretenderlives.com/" target="_blank">The Pretender Lives</a>&nbsp;and check out all of Jeff's work (music, comics, storyboards, etc) on his <a href="http://planethenderson.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr page</a>. I'm off to get myself some Pez. <br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5WyLYi7QRGI" width="640"></iframe></center>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-39582154204154822422013-10-17T11:09:00.000-07:002013-10-17T18:03:18.071-07:00Cosplay Harassment at NYCC: What Happened and What to Do About It<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was Sunday at New York Comic Con and I was up in the press room, resting my feet. I overhead someone telling her friend about her partner's harassment on the floor of the con. Considering that I was on my way to the anti-bullying panel I was on, I had to say something.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WY4wOD05aUc/UmAsUT1jzfI/AAAAAAAAD1U/WIjLQ7dBbcA/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WY4wOD05aUc/UmAsUT1jzfI/AAAAAAAAD1U/WIjLQ7dBbcA/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />This is how I met&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/writersyndrome" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Diana Pho</a>, the woman in question. I just want to say this about what you're about to read. This sort of thing happens all the time and it's absolutely, positively unacceptable. That said, it's going to continue to happen the same way taxes, bad pizza outside of NY and traffic in LA happen. Unfortunately, you can't prevent harassment completely.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So ... I wanted to write this piece to focus on awareness and prevention instead of saying "bullying and harassment=bad," because we already know that. I also wanted to get you all the info about this incident. The only way to change this sort of thing is to make people aware of what's going on and why cosplay does not equal consent and what to do it if happens to you. I spoke to Diana and Lance Fensterman, Global Vice Presiden of ReedPop, which runs NYCC to talk about the issue. Here is what they had to say.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />DIANA (who wrote about the incident<a href="http://beyondvictoriana.tumblr.com/post/63950182175/warning-film-crew-creepers-at-new-york-comic-con" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">&nbsp;on her blog here</a>) tells us what happened:</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>I was at Artist Alley of New York Comic Con with a friend&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123500" tabindex="0"><span class="">on Saturday</span></span>&nbsp;when a film crew approached me about doing a quick interview. I had just completed one with a very polite and professional group earlier, so I didn't think this interview would be an issue. A warning bell went off, however, when they were reluctant to give the name of their show, and as soon as the host started asking questions, I was on my guard. The interviewer (which I later found out was Mike Babchik of the show Man Banter), asked me several sexual and racially fetishizing questions -- like whether he could pay me to stand next to him with my parasol if it rained (because he wanted "to buy an umbrella with an Asian girl"), whether I was a geisha (which immediately implied that I was submissive stereotype of an Asian woman), and finally, he made a disgusting comment that girls who stood next to him got a cream pie.&nbsp;</b>&nbsp;<b><br /></b><b><br /></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I could feel the immediate anger boiling inside of me ready to unleash as the conversation went on, and only when I threatened to slap him did he and his crew flee the scene. I am usually a very sunny and cheerful person, and rarely get angry, but the objectifying way he treated me was too much. It also reminded me of all the other women and girls I know who had been creeped on at conventions (or worse) over the years, so I didn't want to let his crew get away thinking they were cool and macho to do something like that.</b>&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />&nbsp;LANCE tells us when he learned about the incident:&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>I am very aware of the situation since it was first reported. Since that time I’ve been working directly with the two victims that have spoken up directly. &nbsp;I was alerted to the issue by our security team Saturday evening and our PR manager got immediately involved as it included members of the press.</b>&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;DIANA talks about the response to her blog post about the incident.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It had been uproariously positive. Part of me was a bit afraid of backlash -- but a larger part of me was so very angry -- and not for me, but for all of those other young women that were probably also creeped upon by those guys. I didn't even realize that it would go viral so quickly. I wrote the initial tumblr post half-sleep at&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123532" tabindex="0"><span class="">1 AM Sunday</span></span>, and when I woke up a few hours later, the post had already had hundreds of notes, and even more piled on once I had identified Man Banter. Because people tweeted at NYCC and then Lance Fensterman, I was able to connect with Lance quickly and he addressed my concerns within 10 hours of the post; and I was fielding responses all&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123533" tabindex="0"><span class="">Sunday</span></span>&nbsp;morning before leaving for the convention for the last day. There, of course, I had the pleasure of sitting on the anti-bullying panel and met you and the rest of the talented, dedicated advocates, which was especially inspiring, and to talk to Lance face-to-face.</span></b><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was totally taken back, however, to find major websites like&nbsp;<a href="http://boingboing.net/2013/10/13/camera-crew-creeps-exposed-in.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Boing Boing</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/man-banter-new-york-comic-con-cosplay-harassment/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">the Daily Dot</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/man-banter-mike-babchik-new-york-comic-con_b98188" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Mediabistro&nbsp;</a>covering the story when I came into work&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123534" tabindex="0"><span class="">on Monday</span></span>.&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123535" tabindex="0"><span class="">On Tuesday</span></span>, the Asian-American activist group&nbsp;<a href="http://18millionrising.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">18 Million Rising</a>&nbsp;also contacted me saying that they wanted to hold a<a href="http://act.engagementlab.org/sign/18mr_firebabchik/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">&nbsp;petition campaign against Babchik</a>&nbsp;to hold Sirius XM Radio accountable in investigating him and his actions at NYCC. I never thought that one post could attract so much attention, but I think it sparked another fire in the on-going conversation about treatment of women in geekdom.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;DIANA tells us about the response from NYCC: <br /></span><br /><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Immediately after the incident, I tried looking for the group to take their photo, but they were no where to be found. I didn't want to go to on-site con security because I didn't have a picture ID to use to track them down, and at the time, I didn't even know the group's name. On top of that, I had my panel moderating duties to think of, and the panel I was able to moderate -- Geeks of Color Assemble: Minorities in Fandom -- was too important for me not to miss. (I greatly appreciate my panelists to being the first ones to listen and support me as I vented right before we went on stage!)</b><br /></span></b><br /><div><b><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b></div><b></b><br /><div><b><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">After I wrote the tumblr post and had a secure ID on the culprits&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123537" tabindex="0"><span class="">on Sunday</span></span>, I then went to the NYCC website's contact page to see who I could talk too. Unlike the rest of the senior staff, Lance's title as show manager and his description "ask me anything," seemed the most appropriate choice. I wrote him a letter explaining the situation and asking for his assistance in stopping Man Banter from continuing their actions at NYCC. I also tweeted to both him and the NYCC twitter. By then, my tumblr post had gained serious traction, and others were tweeting at NYCC as well, until Lance responded around&nbsp;<span class="" data-term="goog_1508123538" tabindex="0"><span class="">11 AM</span></span>. I hadn't expected something to come so quickly, and he really did a great reply to my letter, which I posted.<br />&nbsp;</span></b></b></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, I was concerned about a couple more things: 1) how did Man Banter get in? and 2) making sure that security policies were clear enough for other cosplayers to get the help they needed if they were in the same situation I was. By then, I had read Bethany Maddock's account online and how she had been harassed by Man Banter before me, tried to get con security to get rid of them, only to see them still on the floor hours later. So a greater concern of mine was to ask Lance what measures would be taken to be sure attendee complaints about harassment don't slip through the cracks. I got to talk to Lance briefly after the feedback session, and I hoped I had made those point across. Just because my experience had a happy ending doesn't let NYCC off the hook from preventing this from happening again at future cons.</span></b></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">LANCE tells us what to do if it happens to us:</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Report the issue to the nearest staffer or security agent. &nbsp;We take the safety of all attendees of any ReedPOP event as our first and highest priority. &nbsp;Once alerted the reaction varies based on the incident. &nbsp;If we witness something as it happens we will immediately intervene. &nbsp;If it is presorted to us after the fact we then attempt to find the perpetrators and ascertain precisely what transpired. &nbsp;But no matter the issue, when it comes to harassment, we react, investigate and take action, this issue is of the utmost importance to us as the event organizer.</b></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In terms of raising awareness of the issue, LANCE says:</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I think the responsibility of the cos player is to make the issue known to any representative of the event organizer immediately. &nbsp;From that point it is really the responsibility of the event organizer to take immediate and appropriate action. &nbsp;I would also suggest the cos players research prior to the event if the event the intend to attend has a clear and actionable anti harassment policy. &nbsp;We do. &nbsp;That indicates a commitment to creating a safe environment for all. &nbsp;It is not a guarantee, but it does clearly show that the organizers care and commit to taking action on the behalf of victims.</b></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">DIANA says:</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div class="gmail_extra"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think keeping the conversation alive is key. There have been fan-driven anti-harassment groups out there like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CosplayIsNotConsent" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Cosplay is Not Consent</a>, the<a href="http://backupribbonproject.wordpress.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">&nbsp;Backup Project</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://wearawhitefeather.wordpress.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Order of the White Feather</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SFFragette" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">&nbsp;SFFEquality</a>. There are also proactive solutions people are proposing to check in on convention policies; before NYCC,<a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/07/03/my-convention-harassment-policy-co-sign-thread/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">&nbsp;I had signed John Scalzi's pledge concerning convention harassment policies</a>&nbsp;-- that I would not attend a convention that didn't have one in place. Over 1,000 professional writers, artists, creators and fans in the SF/F community also signed that pledge, and it's been a good way for people to be mindful of maintaining safe spaces. I hope to see other fandoms and geek communities do that more: help protect each other mutually in the spaces we share.<br /><br />If I can give a piece of advice to people who have suffered from abuse and harassment, I say this: it is not your fault this happened to you. It is never your fault. And the most important part is for that person to feel safe again, and there are many ways of doing so. You can speak out, you can find support, you can leave a space if you need to heal yourself. I shall also emphasize that you don't need to speak out if you feel that it would be too unsafe.&nbsp;</span></b></div><div class="gmail_extra"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="gmail_extra"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand that in my case, I spoke out and took a big risk, and I was very, very lucky not to get any major blowback. But I know that all victims of harassment and bullying may not be in a position where they feel like they can take that risk, whether it is because they are already marginalized (as in the case of transgender people) and risk suffering even further violence, or even if they know that they do not feel comfortable with all of the possible negative flack they would get (because victim-blaming is still a big part of our culture). &nbsp;If a victim needs to protect themselves first after harassment happens, that's OK too.</span></b></div><div class="gmail_extra"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="gmail_extra"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">And there are two things I'll tell people who witness harassment: one, don't be compliant. And two: always believe someone if they tell you they had gone through harassment. Don't blame them or force them to do anything they feel unsafe doing. Support, listen, and respect them - those are the key things are absolutely necessary.&nbsp;</span></b></div></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, let me add the statement from LANCE about the NYCC policy:</span></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">We regret that this happened at New York Comic Con and want the community to know that we have always been and will continue to be extremely dedicated to making our events safe for everyone. &nbsp;If anything, these incidents have only strengthen our resolve to do more to create a safe, fun, supportive, bullying and harassment free environment for all. &nbsp;Enough cannot be done to insure this.</span></b></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, guys, there you have it.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps it's time to get these groups together. How about a panel about what to do if this happens? Perhaps a page on the official site. Maybe we can get groups like Cosplay is Not Consent and NYCC together to talk about things like getting fraudulent press passes, making the no tolerance policy very clear and what to do if it happens to you.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, sound off below. I want to hear what you guys have to say.</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="font-size: 13px;"></div></div>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com349tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-76478091693449657172013-09-03T10:45:00.001-07:002013-09-03T10:45:46.173-07:00Honoring Fionnie in Anne Wheaton's 2014 Celebrity Pet Adoption CalendarBefore I lost my beloved dog Fionnie this past Spring, he and I got to do one of the coolest projects I've ever been a part of. We posed for <a href="http://twitter.com/annewheaton">Anne Wheaton</a>'s 2014 Celebrity Pet Adoption Calendar.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCYb6kw-80E/UiYfSHJPF-I/AAAAAAAADto/vu2lsRkP2WU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-03+at+10.33.37+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCYb6kw-80E/UiYfSHJPF-I/AAAAAAAADto/vu2lsRkP2WU/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-09-03+at+10.33.37+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;Along with Anne and <a href="http://twitter.com/wilw">Wil Wheaton</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/donttrythis">Adam Savage</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/feliciaday">Felicia Day</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/geoffjohns">Geoff Johns</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/bergopolis">Amy Berg</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/bonniegrrl">Bonnie Burton</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/phillamarr">Phil Lamarr</a> (who also lost his pet since we did the calendar), <a href="http://twitter.com/kevingchristy">Kevin Christy</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/claregrant">Clare Grant</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/sethgreen">Seth Green</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/taraplatt">Tara Platt</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/yurilowenthal">Yuri Lowenthal</a> and Rod and Heidi Roddenberry, Fionnie, Kunkle and I posed for this amazing calendar. The proceeds go to benefit the Pasadena Humane Society.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AV9oi19863U/UiYfTkuHi-I/AAAAAAAADtw/ko8mUdXCokw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-03+at+10.33.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AV9oi19863U/UiYfTkuHi-I/AAAAAAAADtw/ko8mUdXCokw/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-09-03+at+10.33.56+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;If you make a 100% tax deductible donation on <a href="http://www.pasadenahumane.org/site/TR?px=1249212&amp;fr_id=1140&amp;pg=personal">Anne and Wil's Wiggle Waggle Walk</a> page, you'll get one of these wonderful calendars with some of the cutest pets out there, including my buddy Fionnie. Here's why PHS is so awesome, in Wil's words:<br /><br />&nbsp;"They’re adding a low cost wellness clinic, an obedience training facility and a pet supply store. They are also adding additional kennels and a grassy play area where dogs can be brought out for socializing and exercise. We are so excited to assist in fundraising efforts to help with this addition. Pasadena Humane Society has a very high adoption success rate (96%) and adding on to the shelter will help with the care of these adopted pets. This is a 20 million dollar project so they need all the help they can get to make this possible."<br /><br />&nbsp;Love the pics? Make sure you check out photographer <a href="http://www.pixievision.com/">Pixie Spindel</a>'s website. She not only does wonderful work, but she's a super cool lady! <br /><br />&nbsp;On a personal note, Fionnie must have been sick when this was shot, but I didn't know yet. We had a wonderful day with Pixie and Anne, posing on the couch, out in the yard and watching him be the super silly clown he was. It means more to me than I can say to know that he was a part of this and that he's a small reason that another animal might get a family to love.<br /><br />&nbsp;You can check out Wil's blog post about the project <a href="https://wilwheaton.net/2013/09/2013-wheaton-wiggle-waggle-for-the-pasadena-humane-society/">here</a>. Guys, please head over and donate. You get a great calendar, you help homeless animals get wonderful forever homes and you honor all your beloved pets, past and present. I know Fionnie is smiling down on this.<br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RCzgFOLFdKE" width="480"></iframe></center>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-44580044425829471322013-08-12T17:09:00.000-07:002013-08-12T17:24:22.212-07:00Steampunk and Kitties That Need a Good Home!As many of you know,<a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-memorial-to-best-dog-in-verse.html" target="_blank"> I lost my sweet pup Fionnie </a>a few months ago. I was completely heartbroken and I didn't know when I'd recover enough to get a new little buddy. <a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2013/06/moving-day-or-look-ghosts-run-away.html" target="_blank">After moving</a> and with the help of my wonderful boyfriend <a href="http://planethenderson.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Jeff</a> and my awesome pals, I got through it and it was time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KWNSdPG64Jk/Ugl1WPQD_3I/AAAAAAAADq8/dAjoojkGytc/s1600/Me+Jeff+and+Peanut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KWNSdPG64Jk/Ugl1WPQD_3I/AAAAAAAADq8/dAjoojkGytc/s320/Me+Jeff+and+Peanut.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jeff and I, right after I adopted little Stephen "Peanut" Pawking at Clockwork Couture.</i></div><br />I'd been chatting about it with the lovely <a href="http://twitter.com/annewheaton" target="_blank">Anne Wheaton</a> and she sent me a picture of a beautiful little kitty. Though I wasn't able to get that one (and she was adopted the second she was available!), Anne directed me to Donna at the coolest clothing store in the universe, <a href="http://www.clockworkcouture.com/" target="_blank">Clockwork Couture</a>.<br /><br />Donna had rescued 18 (yes, you read that right) little kittens and there were three left for adoption. I picked out Stephen (who I'm calling Peanut, because I never call my animals by their real name, which anyone who saw the musical <i>Cats</i>&nbsp;understands), but his little brother Ash and his buddy Luna are still available!<br /><br />Now, Ash has a heart problem and he's too little to get an EKG, but he's the sweetest little guy! He may not have more than 5 or so years, but he really needs a good home and a family to love him. He's super friendly and a huge cuddle bug and wouldn't leave Jeff alone for a sec! (Of course, all animals treat him like he's got pockets full of bacon.) Guys, if there are any of you out there who could take him in, please call the store and ask for Donna, okay? 818-478-1515. (It's in Burbank, CA.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JF9nvUel9ik/Ugl2yitrdII/AAAAAAAADrM/CveHMnl2Kuw/s1600/Ash+and+Peanut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JF9nvUel9ik/Ugl2yitrdII/AAAAAAAADrM/CveHMnl2Kuw/s320/Ash+and+Peanut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Stephen and Ash. Baby Ash is on the left. The little guy on the right is on my lap right now.</i></div><br />Look at that face! How can you resist? (Believe me, I'd have taken them all if I could have!) Then there is Luna, the little "fruit bat." She started out feral, but is a complete love! She's really sweet and gentle and her eyes! Oh my god! Are you swooning yet?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVhuMRHe-7Y/Ugl3TtNGPsI/AAAAAAAADrU/T-Qm5bOSTKw/s1600/IMG_9351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVhuMRHe-7Y/Ugl3TtNGPsI/AAAAAAAADrU/T-Qm5bOSTKw/s320/IMG_9351.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Just imagine waking up to this sweet little face in the morning! She could be yours!</i></div><br />I try to do as much as I can for animal rescue. Believe me, if I ever strike it rich, I'm going to open a no kill preserve for rescue animals of all kinds. But in the meantime, I wanted to get the word out there about these two lovely little balls of fluff that need forever homes and the wonderful place that rescues them. I've been grinning since I brought little Peanut home last night. Just look:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4PwHUCSTQyk/Ugl31YPE7oI/AAAAAAAADrc/BrGZf4zYXGk/s1600/photo+(32).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4PwHUCSTQyk/Ugl31YPE7oI/AAAAAAAADrc/BrGZf4zYXGk/s320/photo+(32).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />This tiny little guy has healed my heart. I think Fionnie would have adored him. He's even managed to charm my wonderfully grumpy (and absolutely loveable and cuddly) nineteen-year-old Kunkle cat. I found them on the couch like this a few minutes ago:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UiUahHlOFmM/Ugl4Z2erMfI/AAAAAAAADrk/5xlLQkzk9Vw/s1600/photo+(40).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UiUahHlOFmM/Ugl4Z2erMfI/AAAAAAAADrk/5xlLQkzk9Vw/s320/photo+(40).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>He also jumped on Kunkle and gave his tail and emergency grooming.</i></div><br />In addition to their kitty awesomeness, Clockwork Couture has the frakking coolest clothes and Steampunk goodies I've ever seen! Guys, please pass this on to anyone you know you loves Steampunk AND kitties. Let's get these two little fuzzy wuzzies a forever home!<br /><br />XOXO<br /><br /><br />Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-8803279150904314902013-06-24T16:27:00.001-07:002013-06-24T16:46:44.906-07:00Moving Day or Look! Ghosts! Run Away!It's so strange how quickly a place you call home can turn into a white painted box. As I've been removing art and swords from my walls, my house has felt less and less like mine. It's really odd, this feeling of being completely rudderless and totally displaced. I've never had this happen before during a move. A woman and her munchkin were coming over to look at the place as I was leaving for a run the other day, and it crushed me. It was a shock, thinking that the site of so many milestones was about to become someone else's. Those of you who keep up with my blog know that, in between my geek news and odd collection of show biz events and nerd girl arguments, I sometimes mention my real life. (Believe me, my job is <em>not</em> real life.) Something hit me today that I wanted to pass on, and this seemed like the best place to do it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fuz7BeQTOYc/UcjU5HdTIMI/AAAAAAAADi0/k3O7gqgQlHc/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fuz7BeQTOYc/UcjU5HdTIMI/AAAAAAAADi0/k3O7gqgQlHc/s320/5.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>Me in my yard with my sword. What? Don't you have one?&nbsp;</i></center><br /><br />I've lived in this house for four years now. It's little and cute and had a yard (my first since I was a kid) and I loved it. I moved in here with my ex-husband and actually discussed buying it. I thought it was <em>mine</em>, you know? That my weird-ass life was finally going to have some stability. It's not that I like anything normal or the idea of settling down in any way, believe me, but one thing grounding me would allow me to go off and act like a crazy person in every other area of my life. Then came the tidal wave.<br /><br />&nbsp;I've chronicled the divorce in an earlier post, and I have no wish to revisit that. It was ultimately a very, very, very good thing, and life changing in brilliant and magical ways, but I'll tell you, the agonizing process of working my way through it is frakking splattered all over these walls like blood stains. I remember wandering from room to room for hours, trying to find one single inch of this place that didn't remind me of what I'd lost. I threw things out that reminded me of him and us. I moved the furniture. My parents came out and stayed with me for weeks while I tried to forget the visual of him moving his shit out of the house, incidentally while I was on the phone collaborating about <a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-first-comic-im-aware-that-sounds.html">my very first comic book</a> and trying not to throw up from the shock. I worked so hard on getting over everything in a healthy way (and I was phenomenally brutal with myself) that I practically repainted these walls with a stronger version of myself.<br /><br />My former roomie Jaime's earlier and similar experience with the same thing helped. So did having someone else in here to talk to. When she finally moved out (and into the home of her sweetie, which is wonderful), I was left alone to "repaint." Once again, I was starting to feel normal. Then another explosion. I lost my job and <a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2012/07/friends-ive-never-met-life-death-and.html">my appendix blew up</a> and I almost died on my den floor. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_oCgSllk8Ko/UcjVP-Z9pqI/AAAAAAAADi8/l-xum7weiik/s1600/Fionnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_oCgSllk8Ko/UcjVP-Z9pqI/AAAAAAAADi8/l-xum7weiik/s320/Fionnie.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>My wonderful Fionnie</i></center><br /><br />Why yes, you <em>are</em> right. I <em>should</em> start carrying around four leaf clovers, nail horseshoes to my wall, stop stepping under ladders, breaking mirrors etc. I should never say the name of the Scottish play and stop being a vegetarian for New Year's Day so I can eat all the good luck corned beef I can hold.<br /><br />Many of you read about the appendix thing in my memorial to Fionnie, but here it is in a nutshell. I thought I had food poisoning for 12 hours, during which I watched <em>Downton Abbey</em>, because what else do sick people do? Matthew and Lady Mary soothed me enough to finally sleep, after which I tried to eat a single bite of pizza. Then KABLAM! (everything that happens in my life should have a comic book sound effect), it burst. It took me 45 minutes to crawl to my phone to call 911. I kept passing out and my pup kept waking me up. I had my head on the floor boards, thinking that the wood pattern was the last thing I was going to see in the world. I screamed into them over and over until someone finally came to get me. Don't laugh at the overly artsy language here, because I swear to you, I said this to myself as I was crawling, but I felt like I was laying down a carpet of agony (and possibly fluids of some sort) as I slid across the floor. Okay, go ahead and laugh, but it's true, and I think about it every single time I walk past that spot.<br /><br />&nbsp;I lost my pet python Obie in this house. I lost my lovely little tabby cat Bee. I lost my funny little rat Millie. And as many of you know, I lost my best friend Fionnie here, which <a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-memorial-to-best-dog-in-verse.html">I wrote about</a> right before it happened. I got the news weeks before, that he was sick and not going to make it, but he seemed to be doing okay. Then the night before WonderCon, I climbed into bed, he hopped up and fell asleep, and then woke up screaming. I knew it was time. I took him in and made the terrible but ultimately easy decision to end his pain. Coming back to this place that night was awful. Dragging each foot up the 32 stairs to my place, knowing I'd never see his sweet face at my door again ... I felt like I was wearing lead boots. My wonderful boyfriend Jeff made the con so easy for me and kept me laughing the whole time, but I knew it was going to hurt like hell when I got home. (Honestly, I wouldn't have gotten through this without him, and I'll never be able to thank him enough for his sweetness through the entire thing.) <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vHSLExPkTY/UcjVyotv86I/AAAAAAAADjU/x9mzbbbRtF0/s1600/Bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vHSLExPkTY/UcjVyotv86I/AAAAAAAADjU/x9mzbbbRtF0/s320/Bee.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>My beautiful little Bee</i></center><br /><br />Not a day goes by when I don't look up and expect to see Fionnie, or leave a piece of food on my plate, only to find myself starting to call him over for it. He's in these walls, too, and that makes me tear up every single time I think about it. As Jeff so wisely told me, there are ghosts in this place, and I finally gathered the courage to move. I'm thrilled that I made the decision. I've been forcing myself to throw out worn out old memories and dusty moments as I pack, and it's been cathartic in the extreme. But yesterday I kind of lost it again as I looked at my bare walls and watched that woman walk up <em>my</em> stairs into the site of events in <em>my</em> life, ready to take it over. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pLn5mXCkNts/UcjVbsX_9yI/AAAAAAAADjE/DYTRP5pOfzI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pLn5mXCkNts/UcjVbsX_9yI/AAAAAAAADjE/DYTRP5pOfzI/s320/2.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>The amazing Jeff and I at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards</i></center><br /><br />It hit me then that there were lovely things that happened here, too. I saw Jeff for the first time at the bottom of those stairs. There have been life changing moments here recently. I've sat on this couch in this room as I got my show with Stan Lee, published my comic, booked my pinup and calendar shoots and my appearances on Attack of the Show, got my new job, and so many, many other things. Hell, this was the site of my being stronger than I've even been in my life as I dragged myself out of the abyss I felt like I was falling into. I'm really proud of that. I can't believe I'm saying this, but there are things about this place I'm going to miss. Okay, not the stairs though. They make my butt hurt. A lot.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O58PV82m_Uo/UcjVmUJP9gI/AAAAAAAADjM/UurOCEizRlg/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O58PV82m_Uo/UcjVmUJP9gI/AAAAAAAADjM/UurOCEizRlg/s320/3.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>Nerding out on Attack of the Show</i></center><br /><br />So here is the thing that hit me. (Remember that thing? From about a thousand words ago? I did promise you a thing.) As I carried yet another box of stuff down those stairs (full of items from my honeymoon, Fionnie's old and mungy dog toys and other assorted and painful crap), I remembered something I told a friend when I decided to give up doing makeup and acting and start a new life as a reporter in a new city where I knew no one. You get to re-work your life any time you want.<br /><br />You can change jobs, add and subtract people from your life, decide what memories you're going to keep and which ones you're going to ... well, not discard, because they're always there, but remove reminders of. And they're all coming with you if you want them to. You can also choose to leave them behind. Like going off to college or moving to a new city or starting a new relationship or career, you get to reinvent yourself and your life. Fionnie is no less with me at the new place than anywhere else, but now I won't have to see the last spot he slept in every day. I can throw out the things I don't want and live without constant reminders. Heck, I can get a new couch. All the things that happened on this one are still there, but now I don't have to look at the claw marks he made or the crumbs that are embedded in the cushions. Also, no more stairs.<br /><br />&nbsp;It's going to be nice to make new memories. Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-74530333578256913902013-03-13T18:45:00.001-07:002013-03-13T18:46:25.892-07:00Why Veronica Mars and the Kickstarter Campaign Kinda RockOkay, guys. I have to do this quick because I'm running out the door. I just wanted to say this before tomorrow. As you know, we <i>Veronica Mars</i>&nbsp;fans have been hoping for a movie for years. It's been promised and hinted at a number of times since the show was canceled in 2007. Sure, I had hopes like the rest of you, but I didn't think it was any more likely than <i>Firefly</i>&nbsp;returning to the airwaves.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t6WS34S9fy8/UUEqnb2jX9I/AAAAAAAADKQ/a1Zz8oAfrD8/s1600/Veronica+Mars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t6WS34S9fy8/UUEqnb2jX9I/AAAAAAAADKQ/a1Zz8oAfrD8/s320/Veronica+Mars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><center><em>Look how happy you've made Veronica!</em></center><br />Then this morning, creator Rob Thomas started a <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/559914737/the-veronica-mars-movie-project" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign</a>, (and you can still donate for the next 30 days) hoping to raise $2 million in 30 days to make this bit of loveliness happen. I think it's best that none of you saw my happy dance. Mildly embarrassing. Anyway, while there was no doubt in my mind that the campaign would be fully funded, I certainly didn't expect it to happen in a mere <i>10 hours!</i><br /><i><br /></i>I've been updating my story on Fanhattan Voice since I ran it at 9 am PST. You can <a href="http://voice.fanhattan.com/2013/03/13/a-veronica-mars-film-will-happen-if-you-pay-up-according-to-kristen-bell/" target="_blank">check it out here</a>. (And please do. I'm really proud of the new site and I'd love it if you guys would pay a visit and "like" us.) I'd also like to thank you all for getting it up to the $2 million mark right before I was off for the day so I could do my final update while I was still on the clock. I'm nothing if not selfish. :)<br /><br />Anyway, one of the things I've been noticing on Twitter, besides the general excitement is a bunch of my friends and fellow journalists making acid comments about how the studios just found a way to make us pay twice for a film. Many of them are saying that this is going to start a terrible trend or that Kickstarter was made for indie projects and that this soils everything in some way. (To be fair, not all of the comments were acid. Many were merely speculating or asking the question. Those aren't the reason for this article.)<br /><br />I just want to say this: There aren't many shows that could raise this sort of money in a few hours. I can think of only a handful. I also think that studios aren't going to have the good grace of fans if they try this too often. This film wasn't getting green lit any other way, from the little I know about it. Look, I really want to see <i>Ghostbusters 3</i>, but I don't think I'd be willing to pay for it when I know the studio is at least looking at it. That said, if there is a film I really <i>want</i>&nbsp;to see, I'm happy to be a tiny part of it by donating. No one is putting a gun to my head. No one is telling me I have to.<br /><br />I'm curious about your opinions here. Are you happy about the news? How do you feel about Kickstarter being used this way? Let me know in the comments or tweet me&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/jennabusch" target="_blank">@jennabusch</a>. I, for one, am thrilled about the news. Long live Veronica!<br /><br /><br /><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/559914737/the-veronica-mars-movie-project/widget/video.html" width="480"> </iframe></center>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-6709043725150843062013-02-26T16:59:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:59:04.943-08:00A Memorial to the Best Dog in the VerseI don't like people seeing me cry. I don't even want people to know I might be. I can count on two hands the number of people that have. That said, I think this is one time I'll make an exception. Today, I found out that my beautiful, amazing, incredible dog Fionnie (it's pronounced Finnie...Irish spelling) has lung cancer and he has a very short time left on this Earth.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hbjXxil9SY8/US1YjcQXKKI/AAAAAAAADGY/L2tZ3i6yygw/s1600/photo+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hbjXxil9SY8/US1YjcQXKKI/AAAAAAAADGY/L2tZ3i6yygw/s320/photo+(13).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The tumor is the size of a lemon. I could have them remove half of a lung, but the thought of doing that to a ten-year-old dog, for, at the most, an additional year of life just seems selfish. You all know what a crazy animal person I am. You know about the squirrels that knock on the door and eat peanuts out of my hand. You know my old roomie and I used to call this Disney princess house. You know I'd frakking kiss a spider if it hung around long enough. But this dog is different.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gwPIYl-U8tE/US1Ylwv4c-I/AAAAAAAADGg/2GQvCyrEWok/s1600/photo+(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gwPIYl-U8tE/US1Ylwv4c-I/AAAAAAAADGg/2GQvCyrEWok/s320/photo+(14).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />I'll never forget the day my ex-husband finally agreed to get a dog. I couldn't go to the shelter or I'd have 15 of them. Yes, I'm<i> that</i> girl and I'm totally okay with it. I had no idea he would get such a big one. I grew up with Westies and it was the last thing I was expecting. But when Eric took me to pick him up, the first thing he said was, "Oh god, isn't he beautiful?" And my heart turned into jelly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8lVCak2GcY/US1YmRky-cI/AAAAAAAADGo/B5Uei3eni38/s1600/photo+(15).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8lVCak2GcY/US1YmRky-cI/AAAAAAAADGo/B5Uei3eni38/s320/photo+(15).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />He was goofy and funny and grinning like only a dog can. Black and white, with freckles and toe hair. He grows his own slippers. We were told he was a border collie/cocker spaniel mix and he was a few hours away from being put down. He was <i>so unbelievably beautiful!</i>&nbsp;I lost my heart and I'll never get it back.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYUVMlaFODM/US1YmWgCYgI/AAAAAAAADGs/N189QOngANE/s1600/photo+(16).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYUVMlaFODM/US1YmWgCYgI/AAAAAAAADGs/N189QOngANE/s320/photo+(16).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>There are so many stories I could tell about this incredible soul. The way he let my bunny groom him. The way he'd run up to kids and let them pull his hair, only to give them a smooch. The way my old neighbor Manoush told me that he was a bit of a dog ambassador for her friends from Iran. He's sit so still for the people that were scared (she told me that in her country, they'd shoot dogs this size because they were mostly feral) and give them the tiniest smooch to make them comfortable.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jExwo9vyVw8/US1Yn3ToN8I/AAAAAAAADG4/AyryiqIqfg0/s1600/photo+(17).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jExwo9vyVw8/US1Yn3ToN8I/AAAAAAAADG4/AyryiqIqfg0/s320/photo+(17).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>He saved my life, you know. I'm sure a bunch of you have laughed over the fact that I'm such a nerd that I went to Comic Con a few days after my appendix exploded. What you may not know is that, when it happened, it took me 45 minutes to crawl to my cell phone to call 911. I kept passing out. Every time I did, he's bite me and nudge me and paw at me until I started moving again. After I called, I just held onto his neck until the paramedics got there. He wouldn't stay away from me. They said that, if I'd passed out, that would have been it for me.<br /><br />When I went through my divorce, he would climb up as close as he could get every night and sleep with his head on my chest and lick the tears away when I'd cry. He went from a dog that would invite robbers in if they had a cookie to being my protector. If my dog loves you, you are a wonderful person. If not, I'm afraid I'm not going to completely trust you. He's a far better judge of character than I am.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3enmkggfkU/US1Yo-WKYKI/AAAAAAAADHA/b-5e1cmvH8g/s1600/photo+(19).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3enmkggfkU/US1Yo-WKYKI/AAAAAAAADHA/b-5e1cmvH8g/s320/photo+(19).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>He doesn't have very long left, they tell me. If he makes it through this weekend, I'm taking him to his favorite place in the world: the beach. I'm giving him his favorite snacks. I'm realizing that the last time I took him to the park was really the last time. That all the gushing I do about him is going to be in the past tense from now on. It's soul crushing. I know that there are so many things in the world that are so much worse than losing a pet, but the beautiful innocence with which they love you is unmatchable.<br /><br />I'll remember everything. His silly anime eyes. His goofy bunny pose. His weird thing about snarling and barking at a cookie for 20 minutes before he'd eat it. His willingness to chow tofu from his silly veggie parents. How he let the bunny groom him. The hind-leg walking performance he'd give when my former roomie Jaime would make him buffalo meat. The weird snort noises he'd make that sounded like he was talking. His "grandpa walks" when my dad would visit. How he sat with me for hours when I lost two of my kitties. His beautiful smile.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9XlgQbWq8Y/US1Yo5uFUFI/AAAAAAAADHE/96CEdrIVmuQ/s1600/photo+(18).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9XlgQbWq8Y/US1Yo5uFUFI/AAAAAAAADHE/96CEdrIVmuQ/s320/photo+(18).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Guys, please go home and hug your pets. Lizards, dogs, kitties, hamsters, the moths you named in your room if you're as weird as I was as a kid. Don't get frustrated when they pee in the house. Don't yell when they bark. Realize that if there are such things as angels, they couldn't be more wonderful than your pets. There is nothing that could be.<br /><br />I love you, Fionnie. Please stick around for a little bit longer.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-12171799395258021462012-12-10T19:55:00.002-08:002012-12-10T20:14:00.161-08:00Yes, I saw The Hobbit in 48 fps ...The other day I saw a screening of <i>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</i>. The first thing everyone asks me after hearing this is how the film was. I could do an entire blog post on that. I probably will. But the second question is the big one. "So, how was it in 48 fps? Should I see it that way?" <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MckPcsU9Zd0/UMate3XxUiI/AAAAAAAAC5I/4KMYxe0-hu4/s1600/The%2BHobbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MckPcsU9Zd0/UMate3XxUiI/AAAAAAAAC5I/4KMYxe0-hu4/s320/The%2BHobbit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />First of all, you may not be able to. There just aren't that many theaters showing it in 48 fps. But if you can, here are my thoughts. If you are a student of film or a fan or just curious, yes, you should see it in 48 fps. This is a piece of film history. Seeing the beginnings of this style is something you shouldn't pass up. In case you're not really sure what all this means, let me explain. We're used to seeing things in 24 frames per second. That's what gives you the slightly "magical" look to film. The smoothness of movement that real life just doesn't have. This is double that. Things are sharper and more realistic ... mostly. In <i>The Hobbit</i>, there were moments when it worked really, really well. The scene with Gollum (Andy Serkis) and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) looked gorgeous. In fact, the realistic visuals made you feel like they were standing in front of you. As many of you know, I was a theater major and I've always tried to explain the magic that a live performance gives you that you just can't capture on camera. This is the closest I've come to seeing it replicated on the big screen. (Now, if they'd only kept the camera on the actors instead of cutting away ...) <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-owtJgYtBE/UMatzHevTrI/AAAAAAAAC5Y/LJpfx1wrdg0/s1600/Gollum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-owtJgYtBE/UMatzHevTrI/AAAAAAAAC5Y/LJpfx1wrdg0/s320/Gollum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />There were other times when the action appeared to be sped up. A napkin drop in the first scene looked completely wrong. Any characters in an outside setting seemed to pop off of the background. The movement seemed completely unnatural. The battle scenes were overwhelming. There was no way to figure out where to focus your eyes. I'd say the 48 fps was incredibly distracting for the most part, occasionally awful and at moments, brilliant. So, completely uneven. Now, part of that is the fact that this is new technology and our eyes aren't used to this much input in terms of focused visuals like a film. But consider this. If you took someone from 1975 and stuck them in front of a CNN broadcast today, they'd probably have a headache in five minutes. We do quicker cuts and take in so much input after years of scrolling news bars, the internet and playing video games that our eyes are just used to it. Remember the first time you saw HDTV? I don't know about you, but my eyes ached for days. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ijflB93CclQ/UMat4Wf3rcI/AAAAAAAAC5k/w_njV9UNJV0/s1600/Dwarves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ijflB93CclQ/UMat4Wf3rcI/AAAAAAAAC5k/w_njV9UNJV0/s320/Dwarves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, should we keep doing it? Oh, why the hell not? James Cameron is saying he might do <i>Avatar 2</i> in 60 fps. However, he's the sort to go in and fix the things that are wrong with the technology with his mountains of cash. (I like to think of him sitting on a mountain of gold coins, a la Smaug the dragon. Look at what he's done with 3-D. I may not have liked <i>Avatar</i>, but it was certainly beautiful. This is merely the first attempt. Give it time. Now, go ahead and debate. Tell me if you've seen it. I'm dying to know what you think. <br /><br />UPDATE ABOUT HEADACHES: My buddy @KristenMcHugh22 suggested that I add this. For the record, I very often get headaches from 3-D films. Though the screening I saw was in both 48 fps and 3-D, I had no headache or eye strain at all.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-75102856733058078972012-09-27T14:00:00.000-07:002012-09-27T14:29:03.068-07:00My 'Attack of the Show' appearance: 'Doctor Who' and 'Inspector Spacetime'Hey everyone!<br /><br />If you didn't see my Twitter/Facebook/Google+ note (that I published endlessly because I have no shame at all), I made my first appearance on G4's 'Attack of the Show' on Wednesday, doing the 'What to Watch' segment. Of course, my contributions were nerdy. First off, I chatted about the 'Doctor Who' parody on 'Community' called 'Inspector Spacetime.' Actor <a href="https://twitter.com/sivartis" target="_blank">Travis Richey</a>, who plays the Inspector raised a butt load of money on Kickstarter to produce the series (he is a 'Community' and 'Doctor Who' fan ... what a dream job), though NBC and Sony asked him not to do it with that name. Sure, there are a few changes, including the name, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=B0-YTpAMmew" target="_blank">'An Untitled Web Series About a Time Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Space.'&nbsp;&nbsp;</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8qJazJmcLx0/UGS9sLBWjjI/AAAAAAAACkw/torcsBcE4m8/s1600/photo(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8qJazJmcLx0/UGS9sLBWjjI/AAAAAAAACkw/torcsBcE4m8/s320/photo(9).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Next up, I lament the upcoming Fall finale for 'Doctor Who,' the loss of companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) and tease host <a href="https://twitter.com/rejectedjokes" target="_blank">Ben Schwartz</a> and my fellow guest <a href="https://twitter.com/Breznican" target="_blank">Anthony Breznican</a> about their lack of Who knowledge. Also, make sure you check out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS2oJm3__48&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">'Tales of Mere Existence,'</a> from Anthony. It's hysterical! Discovering girls with Princess Leia dolls ... just saying. So is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZaPVXsBxEE" target="_blank">'Jake and Amir,'</a> which was Ben's offering. I want to sit on random people's laps now. Watch. You'll understand.<br /><br />Check out the segment below and let me know what you think! (Also, feel free to tweet at <a href="https://twitter.com/aots" target="_blank">@AOTS</a> and tell them you want me to be on again. Yes, I <i>am</i> shameless. :)<br /><br /><object classId="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="480" height="418" id="VideoPlayerLg60990"><param name="movie" value="http://www.g4tv.com/lv3/60990" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.g4tv.com/lv3/60990" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="VideoPlayer" width="480" height="382" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" /></object><div style="margin:0;text-align:center;width:480px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;color:#FF9B00;"></div>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-28785967755773666262012-09-21T21:06:00.001-07:002012-09-21T23:32:50.081-07:00Re-reading 'The Hobbit' -- An unexpected journeyToday is the 75th anniversary of the publication of "The Hobbit." In honor of the day, and the upcoming <i>three</i> films, I decided to read it again. When "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy came out, I re-read<i> those</i> books over and over, but somehow, I never got back to "The Hobbit." I read it as a kid, lo these many years ago and I loved it. Shocking, I know. Though I didn't know it at the time, it was the hero's journey that really appealed to me. Someone, plucked out of obscurity and set on a path with every opportunity to prove their worth. Yeah, this appealed to me on more levels that I can explain, but if you look at the choices I've made in my life, maybe you can see how it affected me.<br /><br /><center><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9e4tJDNdUfo/UF0vdNybmPI/AAAAAAAACig/4lBcoJbw244/s1600/New_Hobbit_Photo_Shows_Bilbo_Baggins_Worse_For_Wear_1326581114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9e4tJDNdUfo/UF0vdNybmPI/AAAAAAAACig/4lBcoJbw244/s320/New_Hobbit_Photo_Shows_Bilbo_Baggins_Worse_For_Wear_1326581114.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins with his sword Sting in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."</td></tr></tbody></table></center>Anyone who knows me will laugh their asses off at this, but I was kind of shy as a kid. Fantasy novels like "The Hobbit" and Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonsinger" trilogy allowed me to dream of a time when I could shine. It was theater that allowed me to find my extra shiny voice. (Oh, I'll never pass up a "Firefly" reference.) Sure, we weren't fighting Wargs and a dragon, but, like the Dwarves, the Wizard and one little Hobbit, we bonded over some seriously intense time spent together. Later on, I'd attempt to conquer the makeup industry and entertainment journalism. Again, not dragon slaying or saving towns, but personally, it was a pretty powerful journey.<br /><br /><center></center><center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ViUNm30ADEA" width="560"></iframe></center><center><i>The brand new trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Watch, and ooh and ah along with me.</i></center><br />I've been through a shit load of drama in the past year, from job loss to divorce to the death of a pet to major surgery. So beginning this book again was a bit daunting for me. Reading it from a far less innocent place made me wonder if I could sympathize with a character who could look forward to an adventure with joy. Sure, Bilbo was worried, but there was a sense of anticipation for the wonders he might see. I thought maybe I'd lost that. At least a little bit.<br /><br />As I started reading (and continued far, far too late into the night), I realized a few things. First, there is a lack of description that stunned me. I seem to remember it differently. (It's much like "The Chronicles of Narnia" in that way.) As I kid, I must have visualized what I remember being in the book. It was a surprising pleasure to do that again, and to realize that the very act of imagination took me out of the stress of my life and plopped me right back into the child-like mindset I had when I first read it. It was glorious!<br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fZKdRLS1fk4" width="560"></iframe></center><center><i>Four additional endings for the third trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."</i></center><br />I re-read all about Bilbo's nervousness and worry. The humor of the Dwarves and their constant refrain, "At your service." His cleverness with Gollum. His intelligence and drive. The wonder that he never lost. In the middle of the night, as I started the scene with Smaug the dragon, something hit me. Maybe it seems strange to you all, but it made me want to go on an adventure again. It's been a long time since I've felt that. It gave me the drive to start over, once again and remember why I love what I do and who I am. So, was it the amazing characters Tolkien wrote? The thought of the little guy saving the day? Was it swords and a dragon and a guy who can turn into a bear? (Well, maybe it was a <i>little </i>of that, but ... ) No. In the end, what pulled me up short and made me put down the book (where my bunny promptly started eating it) was the realization that imagining a story was the thing that I was missing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l9w0Ar_Qstc/UF044zHndeI/AAAAAAAACi0/WDVtD1BIGdc/s1600/photo(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l9w0Ar_Qstc/UF044zHndeI/AAAAAAAACi0/WDVtD1BIGdc/s320/photo(3).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><center><i>Emer the bunny thinks Hobbitses are delicious.</i></center><br />Maybe I'm a little more jaded than Bilbo (though he definitely has moments where he'd rather be having tea and toast in his little Hobbit hole than slaying spiders), but there is no reason I shouldn't consider job hunting and getting my ass out of the house to finally exercise after months of recovery and ... gulp ... <i>dating</i> as an adventure. I'm quite certain I've already gone on a date with a Troll. <i>Quite certain. </i>So ... grabbing my sword and off I go. Anyone know any good wizards in need of some work? Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-84664456904360838732012-07-16T00:23:00.000-07:002012-07-16T00:23:48.302-07:00Friends I've never met, life, death and Comic ConI'm sure a zillion people have been through this. I haven't. I'm sure lots of you have had close calls. I never have.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W60YnhU6U1w/UAO_KcEIzDI/AAAAAAAACTs/eU5Wpg6tiBY/s1600/photo%2840%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W60YnhU6U1w/UAO_KcEIzDI/AAAAAAAACTs/eU5Wpg6tiBY/s320/photo%2840%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself and Mark Hamill at our first show for Stan Lee's World of Heroes.</td></tr></tbody></table>As many of you know, my appendix burst on Friday night. I felt sick on Thursday and thought it might be food poisoning. I went out to dinner on Wednesday with my dear friend Roth. We chatted, but it was the day I got engaged. July 4 years ago. Considering what that meant for me, it was a nice night out and very low key. I assumed that dinner did it. Twelve hours of what I thought was agony, and I finally fell asleep. Well, after both season of 'Downton Abbey,' at least.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LN7hoUtWr0s/UAO-pCSHVGI/AAAAAAAACS4/Etwdosw1yxM/s1600/photo%2834%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LN7hoUtWr0s/UAO-pCSHVGI/AAAAAAAACS4/Etwdosw1yxM/s320/photo%2834%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself and Jennings Roth Cornet, who took care of me at the hospital and at the con.</td></tr></tbody></table>I won't freak you out with details, but needless to say, my appendix burst. I dealt with it for an hour (since I had no idea what really happened) and finally decided to get my phone. It took me 45 minutes to crawl to it and I almost passed out. When the surgeon finally spoke to me, I was told that if I'd waited another fifteen minutes, that would have been it. I would have passed out. I would have died.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iOw4zCDBfN4/UAO-u11xnQI/AAAAAAAACTA/0b4uzOBNzDE/s1600/photo%2835%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iOw4zCDBfN4/UAO-u11xnQI/AAAAAAAACTA/0b4uzOBNzDE/s320/photo%2835%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself, Eric Pumphrey and Dennis Tzeng, who is photobombing us!</td></tr></tbody></table>Damn, I sound over dramatic. I told the doctor I was going to Comic Con whether it was smart or not. I had a bunch of panels to do, and there was no way I was missing the annual nerd fest. I didn't really have time to think about it. My dad was out to help me while I was in the hospital. My sister had her baby the day after my surgery. SDCC was non-stop work/merriment/geekgasm. Then I got home. This is the first time I've been alone in over a week. It all hit me like a giant orc hammer over the head.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNlChTU645E/UAO-0hm8fxI/AAAAAAAACTI/8311PaYfImE/s1600/photo%2836%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNlChTU645E/UAO-0hm8fxI/AAAAAAAACTI/8311PaYfImE/s320/photo%2836%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and 'Spartacus' star Liam McIntyre, who is the nicest guy EVER!</td></tr></tbody></table>I was told my a friend that there are exit points in your life and that I chose to stay. Whatever you believe about that (and honestly, I couldn't care less ... that's not what this is about), it's freaky. It feels like I'm stuck in someone's novel. Like I can't control how I feel. Like an author is running it.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fkqi6TJHshI/UAO-69FpbHI/AAAAAAAACTQ/5-BR_dZOyA0/s1600/photo%2837%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fkqi6TJHshI/UAO-69FpbHI/AAAAAAAACTQ/5-BR_dZOyA0/s320/photo%2837%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new art I bought from @sawdustbear. Check out her website! Sawdustbear.com!</td></tr></tbody></table>So, after the con craziness, I finally had an hour to sit down and think about it. About my animals missing me. About my family. About the nephew I would never have met. About the shows I'd never do and the friends I'd never make. About how much I wish certain things were different. And yes, that is a lot to think about in an hour. Damn, I should play World of Warcraft for a few moments to settle my brain. I also thought about how all of your tweets and FB messages carried me through. My friend who came to the hospital. Strangers who gave me a hug at the con. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EnHGRB8MbX8/UAO_AODHv0I/AAAAAAAACTc/bBqohmMzwG4/s1600/photo%2838%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EnHGRB8MbX8/UAO_AODHv0I/AAAAAAAACTc/bBqohmMzwG4/s320/photo%2838%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was my third year hosting the 'Merlin' panel and this year they let me wear a Knight's cloak!</td></tr></tbody></table>It was exhausting, honestly. The con isn't exactly a walk in the park if you're working. I hate admitting weakness, but I was <i>tired!</i> I'd start fading, and someone would come up to me and say hi. It got me through. Screw Vicodin. You guys are the ones who kept me upbeat.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpftlhSRP2k/UAO_M63OMuI/AAAAAAAACT0/vMvnenPXOlw/s1600/photo%2841%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpftlhSRP2k/UAO_M63OMuI/AAAAAAAACT0/vMvnenPXOlw/s320/photo%2841%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, the very awesome Dorina and our Tribbles!</td></tr></tbody></table>I have a feeling this is going to be a long process, realizing the impact of what happened to me. I think it's ultimately going to be wonderful. But the reason I'm writing this is because of all of you. I may not have had time to respond to all of your Twitter and Facebook well wishes, but I read every single one. It hit me that, though things aren't always peachy in one's personal life, all it takes is someone to say, 'I hope you're doing well,' or 'I hope you feel better,' to bring things into perspective. Even as I'm writing this, I got a tweet from someone I've never met, saying they're happy that I'm doing well.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X9KKbp3vEqE/UAO_GB7gZCI/AAAAAAAACTk/QQIuXJJ5yRo/s1600/photo%2839%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X9KKbp3vEqE/UAO_GB7gZCI/AAAAAAAACTk/QQIuXJJ5yRo/s320/photo%2839%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Stan Lee!</td></tr></tbody></table>So the point is this. Go out and say that to everyone. People you've never met. Ask them how they are. Tell them you hope they're happy. Do something to make them happy. It can change everything. So say we all.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-13993878130516372922012-06-12T14:13:00.000-07:002012-06-12T14:13:58.526-07:00Women of Geekdom rocked my worldThis weekend, I got to do something fantastic. I was asked to do a calendar shoot for the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1911932305/the-women-of-geekdom-2013-calendar" target="_blank">Women of Geekdom</a>. Now, I find myself all over geekdom, but I had never met these ladies before. I was thrilled to be a part of something like this, but I had no idea of the awesomeness that was in store.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KsBd91mtyAM/T9euDXy-dJI/AAAAAAAACKA/BIv8wDaYfMI/s1600/IMG_6693%281%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KsBd91mtyAM/T9euDXy-dJI/AAAAAAAACKA/BIv8wDaYfMI/s320/IMG_6693%281%29.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the candid pinup shots with Han Solo's blaster. Thanks Misti!</td></tr></tbody></table>I flew down to Charleston, South Carolina, accompanied by the LA crew. <a href="http://www.chloed.net/" target="_blank">Chloe Dykstra</a>, who works for Wizard World, Bitmob, and Nerdist found me right away, along with <a href="http://www.meowmistidawn.com%20/" target="_blank">Misty Dawn</a>, co-host of the "Bagged and Boarded" podcast on the SMODCAST newtwork as well as Machinima Director, vlogger <a href="http://www.youtube.com/presshearttocontinue" target="_blank">Brooke Lawson</a>, aka Dodger, and <a href="http://www.satinephoenix.net/" target="_blank">Satine Phoenix</a>, Dungeons &amp; Dragons goddess.<br /><br />From the first, we hit it off. How could we not? These chicks rock! Fellow ladies of geek, I know you know what I'm saying when I tell you that many of us have mostly guy friends. (We discussed this on the wrap up podcast.) Maybe it's because when we were young, it was mostly guys who were vocal about loving the same things we did. Maybe we got flack from other ladies. Maybe it's our attitudes. But for the most part, this seems to be the case across the board.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDLctrhjs1g/T9ewYs-UYMI/AAAAAAAACKo/ySEVbz3Zieo/s1600/photo%2817%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDLctrhjs1g/T9ewYs-UYMI/AAAAAAAACKo/ySEVbz3Zieo/s320/photo%2817%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fresh ink. All 16 of us got one!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Meeting these ladies was like a tall glass of sweet tea while walking through the Red Wastes of Essos. When we got in, there were geeky ladies everywhere! (And some geeky men to go with them.) Immediately we were chatting like crazy! Creators Shaun Rosado and his lovely wife (and mother of this idea) <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/popcycled%20" target="_blank">Laura Rosado</a> made everything easy. They rented a house for us, gave us transportation, helped with costumes, had people get us drinks and generally acted like real-life superheroes. In minutes, Dodger, Satine and I were out doing dance stretches on the back lawn together.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A0N-5CnNdvs/T9euJa7UKkI/AAAAAAAACKQ/G-5cjgLYOuI/s1600/photo%2815%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A0N-5CnNdvs/T9euJa7UKkI/AAAAAAAACKQ/G-5cjgLYOuI/s320/photo%2815%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a lot of photos like this. Geek pile!</td></tr></tbody></table>The discussions were as geeky as you please. We talked video games, comic books, our giant collection of tattoos. Nerdy references were flying! When we found out Chloe was dressing as the 11th Doctor, the line "Bow ties are cool" was uttered every few minutes. And <i>everyone got it!</i><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X7rcCRoqpnQ/T9erFsrTpDI/AAAAAAAACI0/_Uf9LwIEq_Y/s1600/photo%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X7rcCRoqpnQ/T9erFsrTpDI/AAAAAAAACI0/_Uf9LwIEq_Y/s320/photo%25289%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Chloe bonding over ... was it Zelda, Doctor Who or sex? Can't remember.</td></tr></tbody></table>The bonding and deep discussions about sex, gaming, men, drawing, TV shows, films, 8-bit nostalgia and what we all want to do with our lives went into the wee hours. Fueled by wine and other assorted beverages, of course. Joining us were <a href="http://twitter.com/DashKnowsAll" target="_blank">Dash</a>, who was in a spandex costume she made herself when I met her, the wonderful artist <a href="http://nicolejekich.com/" target="_blank">Nicole</a>, Stormy, who lives up to her name in the very best way, <a href="http://pennilessgeek.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Christina</a>, who I spent a lovely car ride geeking out of my mind with, Star Wars goddess <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PrincessSandy41280" target="_blank">Princess Sandy</a>, who's experience getting into her mermaid costume needs a blog post of its own and the lovely Laura. (Satine and I now think we must be related!)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pTpXLjXVkRc/T9euIvQU8TI/AAAAAAAACKI/e2EneDdSL0s/s1600/photo%2814%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pTpXLjXVkRc/T9euIvQU8TI/AAAAAAAACKI/e2EneDdSL0s/s320/photo%2814%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Laura and Satine playing the Game of Geek!</td></tr></tbody></table>I wasn't there for everyone's shoots, but mine was a blast. Dodger and I got to the location, which was spectacular and headed into the makeup trailer. Her costume was Kerrigan-based (For the Swarm!) and mine was a Valkyrie. (For the record, Valkyries wear very short skirts. I did not sit down!) After braiding my hair and painting my face, they let me out and <i>gave me weaponry!</i> As you all know, I love pointy and sharp things. This spear was gorgeous! In fact, I went right home and bought one! (After hanging with my good buddy Corday for a bit.)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9wuIc9qBfrQ/T9eq_WIp5OI/AAAAAAAACIc/BT6G4G1BANM/s1600/photo%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9wuIc9qBfrQ/T9eq_WIp5OI/AAAAAAAACIc/BT6G4G1BANM/s320/photo%25286%2529.JPG" width="273" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Corday, the coolest of the cool.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Despite a few delays, we got it all done and spent the night gabbing until near dawn again. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was! It was a giant slumber party with all your best friends, who you've strangely just met. The next morning we shot a Christmas day photo for December and a group poster. (Pre-shoot, Misti obliged me by taking more photos of me with weapons. But hey! They were Star Wars guns!) By the time we did that, candid shots were easy as pie, since we'd been goofing off for days.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZN0LJG9BSWE/T9erE5jrOFI/AAAAAAAACIs/ECZ7f1mCTSA/s1600/photo%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZN0LJG9BSWE/T9erE5jrOFI/AAAAAAAACIs/ECZ7f1mCTSA/s320/photo%25288%2529.JPG" width="251" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love when they give me weaponry!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But here is the kicker. We were all so moved and elated by the experience that we decided to get group tattoos! Spearheaded by Chloe and Satine, the idea was to get a USB symbol on our finger or wrist in white, deep enough that it would raise. Connection was the theme and all 16 of us, the ladies, the guys, everyone got that tattoo! For some of them, it was their very first one! In fact, we drove all the way to Resurrection Ink in Savanah, Georgia to get them done!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-75JvStqebYc/T9eqrBbP9CI/AAAAAAAACH0/EbF_DkXNr6Q/s1600/wog-last-supper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-75JvStqebYc/T9eqrBbP9CI/AAAAAAAACH0/EbF_DkXNr6Q/s320/wog-last-supper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Last Supper, post penis rice sculpture.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After an incredible dinner where the chef made a giant rice penis (not kidding), we headed over and got our ink. The guys there were a little blown away by all of us, but by the end it was a laugh fest. Also, finger tattoos HURT! Just saying.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iU4bzMEwVSk/T9eq3OoxMgI/AAAAAAAACIE/E8pL389tk_I/s1600/photo%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iU4bzMEwVSk/T9eq3OoxMgI/AAAAAAAACIE/E8pL389tk_I/s320/photo%252811%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me getting inked!</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;It was with a heavy heart that I left everyone, but I'm thrilled to say I consider each and every one of these ladies and gents a dear friend.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZY-BW9IZL0/T9eq9wIKU0I/AAAAAAAACIU/UG8on19WcXc/s1600/photo%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZY-BW9IZL0/T9eq9wIKU0I/AAAAAAAACIU/UG8on19WcXc/s320/photo%252813%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the Women of Geekdom giving you the finger ... to show your our new tattoos, of course!</td></tr></tbody></table>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-17514055984787709752012-05-25T15:00:00.000-07:002012-05-25T15:00:03.496-07:00'Star Wars': A love story"Star Wars" was released 35 years ago today. I was really young and honestly, I don't remember a time in my life that I wasn't in love with the film. My favorite book as a kid was the giant "Star Wars" book my parents bought me. I was Princess Leia for Halloween. Gosh, I remember my mom wrapping my super long hair around donut-shaped netting to get her signature look and lending me a silver belt to wrap around the robes she gave me. I don't think I've ever been prouder on Halloween!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V6QrmXejAsk/T8AAbWg3J5I/AAAAAAAACCw/TK3a2ubFx7k/s1600/jenna-busch-christina-busch-cleary-leia-riding-hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V6QrmXejAsk/T8AAbWg3J5I/AAAAAAAACCw/TK3a2ubFx7k/s320/jenna-busch-christina-busch-cleary-leia-riding-hood.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><br />I had all the toys, though no one could understand why I wanted anything but Leia dolls. I found sticks in the yard and colored them with green or blue chalk so they looked like lightsabers. I played "Star Wars" in the yard with my friend Lisa. I said, "May the force be with you" to my friends on the playground. I was hooked.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb8YLhN7lwg/T8AAdup-KqI/AAAAAAAACC4/tcJY7U2_UJk/s1600/jenna-busch-boba-fett-kiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb8YLhN7lwg/T8AAdup-KqI/AAAAAAAACC4/tcJY7U2_UJk/s320/jenna-busch-boba-fett-kiss.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The thing is, I loved all sorts of things as a kid. "Star Wars," however, stuck. I went to "Empire Strikes Back" in my footie pajamas with my parents and their friends. I used to pretend I was flying the Millenium Falcon. I remember getting the Leia/Luke connection spoiled for me on the swings. Didn't care. I just wanted to see it.<br /><br />Later in life, the Yoda's line, "Do or do not. There is no try" actually popped into my head at important forks in the road. When I chose to go onstage and audition for my first play. When I challenged my parents and insisted on going to college for Musical Theatre. Every time I changed careers. Every time I got in front of the camera. When I moved across the country.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wytaHnOVPY8/T8AAhP3i4OI/AAAAAAAACDA/qp3lsTmte-E/s1600/jenna+busch+c3po.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wytaHnOVPY8/T8AAhP3i4OI/AAAAAAAACDA/qp3lsTmte-E/s320/jenna+busch+c3po.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The idea of fighting for what is good and right in the world stuck with me, as well as trying again, no matter how many times you fail. Even Han Solo's rouge personality rubbed off on me. Who needs to say what everyone else wants to hear? Take risks. Do what no one else will do.<br /><br />Getting a chance to visit Skywalker Ranch was a high point in my life, and finally interviewing George Lucas and having the opportunity to tell him how much the films meant to me was a dream come true. Interviewing Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford ... playing every "Star Wars" video game ... I never would have given up a career I was comfortable to do what I do without the feeling that I needed to give my all and do, not try. To take chances. To shake myself out of my regular life and go on an adventure. And what an adventure it's been.<br /><br />Thank you "Star Wars." May the force be with you.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-85080032971754512012012-05-24T16:22:00.000-07:002012-05-24T16:22:48.559-07:00Pointe shoes, Stan Lee, shameless self-promotion, Eureka and other assorted updatesI've been pretty busy lately. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you know that one of those things includes wine-induced <a href="http://amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> purchasing. It's been a long time since I've danced and I've been buying and actually using my pointe shoes. Goofy as it sounds, it's been more fun than I can say. Breaking them in, walking around the house en pointe (which seriously confuses my dog) and attempting the New York City Ballet workout. Yes, I said attempting.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oHjl2lGZmKU/T77CVrVJB_I/AAAAAAAACCU/4cbaetx0xqI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oHjl2lGZmKU/T77CVrVJB_I/AAAAAAAACCU/4cbaetx0xqI/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />It's a random thing I did to cheer myself up. It worked. So I say to you today, if there was ever something you wanted to do or something you wanted to get, do it. What's stopping you? Sure, purple pointe shoes aren't strictly necessary in my life (though they do help me reach the top shelf), they make me happy.<br /><br />Now onto the shameless self-promotion. I feel really, really weird about this, but I created a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jennabuschfanpage" target="_blank">public page on Facebook</a>. It feels kind of squidgy to ask people to "like" you. <i>Please be my friend! </i>But it's up. My FB page is getting close to the line and I want to stay in touch with everyone. Someone told me once that no one is going to promote your work for you. So, um, like me? <br /><br />I'm <i>really</i> excited about my new show, "Cocktails With Stan." I'm producing and co-hosting this talk show with comic book legend Stan Lee! Each Friday we'll have a new celebrity guest. So far we've posted one with <a href="http://twitter.com/janeespenson" target="_blank">Jane Espenson</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/colinferg" target="_blank">Colin Ferguson</a>. Upcoming guests include, <a href="http://twitter.com/feliciaday" target="_blank">Felicia Day</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/jacehall" target="_blank">Jace Hall</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/nathanfillion" target="_blank">Nathan Fillion</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/mariamenounos" target="_blank">Maria Menounos</a>, Masi Oka and "The Amazing Spider-Man" director Mark Webb. Check out the first two shows below.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cgAvWZklf8U" width="500"></iframe></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ALuLukk7jio" width="500"></iframe></center><br /><br />I was so excited to be a guest on Felicia Day's Geek &amp; Sundry show, "Tabletop" with <a href="http://twitter.com/day9" target="_blank">Sean Plott</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/wilw" target="_blank">Wil Wheaton</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/grantimahara" target="_blank">Grant Imahara</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X9QtdiRJYro" width="500"></iframe></center><br /><br />I also got a chance to start doing after-shows on Maria Menounos' web channel<a href="http://afterbuzztv.com/" target="_blank"> AfterBuzz TV</a>. So far I've been hosting the "Eureka" after-show with my good friend <a href="http://twitter.com/jrothc" target="_blank">Jennings Roth Cornet</a>. We've had Colin Ferguson, <a href="http://twitter.com/neilgrayston" target="_blank">Neil Grayston</a>, co-creator <a href="http://twitter.com/jaimepaglia" target="_blank">Jaime Paglia</a>, Grant Imahara and co-executive producer/writer <a href="http://twitter.com/bergopolis" target="_blank">Amy Berg</a>. Coming up is Wil Wheaton and Debrah Farentino. Here is the<a href="http://afterbuzztv.com/shows-eureka" target="_blank"> link </a>to them all. <br /><br />Okay, there's the update. More to come soon!Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-31276766177846564972012-04-02T14:10:00.000-07:002013-04-23T17:24:45.310-07:00Let's talk about porn -- Yes, I read 'Fifty Shades of Grey'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alpvNxnTTZM/T3oVehXusiI/AAAAAAAABpE/9Q4g3PJdElI/s1600/50shadesx-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alpvNxnTTZM/T3oVehXusiI/AAAAAAAABpE/9Q4g3PJdElI/s320/50shadesx-large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ah, it's a touchy subject, even in 2012. Women aren't supposed to like porn. Apparently we're supposed to be offended by all of it and roll our eyes when guys know the names of porn stars. Porn on the internet/XXX films are a totally different post, and I could go on and on about how puritanical the country is right now, why sex isn't a big deal, and why, yes, some of them <i>are</i> degrading. What I want to talk about today, however, is erotic fiction.<br /><br />Why is the country surprised that "Fifty Shades of Grey" is a top seller for Kindle and similar devices before it's even in print? (It's available for print-on-demand, but not in stores yet.) I'll tell you why. Because women are reading it.<br /><br />Please tell me you're not shocked by this statement: Women love sex. When you wake up from that dead faint, here's another. We like reading about it. We like sex scenes in films. Oh, I'm sorry. That was two. Are you okay? Need smelling salts?<br /><br />If you're not familiar with the book, "Fifty Shades of Grey" was original written as fan fiction. (Loosely based on "Twilight." The main character Christian Grey is not a vampire, but he's certainly tortured. Ana Steele is a bit Bella though.) A young woman falls in love with a gorgeous, successful and very messed up man. There are lots of sex scenes, some of them damn spicy and all of them extremely graphic. There is S&amp;M, and a bit of the sex involves that, but way less than you expect when you start the book.<br /><br />So, why is it a giant news story? People are freaking out all over the place, calling it "mommy porn" and bemoaning the state of culture in America. Is it really so surprising that women like this sort of thing? Why, in this day and age, are we still pretending that this is weird? <br /><br />Yes, we like sex. We think about it as much as you do, gentlemen. We read about it. We talk about it. (Trust me, you do <i>not</i> want to be in a room when a bunch of girls start with the details. You may not recover from the shock ... but you will definitely learn a few things.) I think part of the problem is that we rarely admit it. I did a red carpet recently where I asked celebrities if they'd read it. Pretty easy to see that the ones who did, didn't want to talk about it. One of the main reasons this book has done so well is that you can read it on a Kindle and no one knows that you're mid-sex scene.<br /><br />Ladies, am I right here? If so, share this. Let me know if you've read it and what you think.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-42562790964869870442012-01-19T15:46:00.000-08:002012-01-19T15:46:37.950-08:00My first comic! (I'm aware that sounds like a children's book.)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-pYP3doBAM/Txio0UkJSKI/AAAAAAAABd0/td8azlIKJ_A/s1600/ArchetypesPinup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-pYP3doBAM/Txio0UkJSKI/AAAAAAAABd0/td8azlIKJ_A/s320/ArchetypesPinup.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>&nbsp;Elisa Feliz's wonderful pinup for my "Archetypes: A Christmas Crime" short story.</i></div>As you may have seen in <a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2011/07/womanthology-and-my-comic-book-debut.html">my earlier post about Womanthology</a>, I'm now officially a comic book author. In case you're wondering, I am indeed doing an embarrassing happy dance right now. It's best that you don't see it.<br /><br />I did two pieces. One of them, "Ladybird" was co-written with the wonderful <a href="http://www.onthetowne.net/">Rachel Pandich</a> with art by the amazing, Eisner-award-winning artist, <a href="http://j-k-lee.com/Home.html">Janet Lee</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Dapper-Men-Jim-McCann/dp/1932386904">Return of the Dapper Men</a>). It's based on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and I'm incredibly proud of it. Check out <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/common/media/show/player.php?show_id=69&amp;ep=7">my video interview with Janet</a> at NYCC for Newsarama to see some of the art.<br /><br /><br /><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sNGpYW_7p2c/TxiqErUUb_I/AAAAAAAABeA/7Hj2SQeTXXU/s1600/photo%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sNGpYW_7p2c/TxiqErUUb_I/AAAAAAAABeA/7Hj2SQeTXXU/s320/photo%252816%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></center><br /><i>Me at the Comikaze Expo "Womanthology" panel in front of Janet Lee's art for "Ladybird."</i><br />The second one (which I actually wrote first) is "Archetypes," with art by the fantastic <a href="http://www.xsidecomics.com/">Elisa Feliz</a>. That one is about a woman who dreams in archetypes and solves crimes. Weirdly enough, I wrote it on a plane back from New Orleans. Neither of these are exactly what you'd call "fluffy, happy" stories. In fact, when I was lucky enough to get comic legend Jim Lee to critique them, he said, "Wow, you're really dark!"<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xs9cO76H0_g/TxiqGHMG8QI/AAAAAAAABeI/rI8mDIpgv_A/s1600/photo%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xs9cO76H0_g/TxiqGHMG8QI/AAAAAAAABeI/rI8mDIpgv_A/s320/photo%252815%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Me at the Comikaze Expo "Womanthology" panel in front of Elisa Feliz's art for "Archetypes."</i></div>Anyway, we were recently asked to contribute a holiday piece based on our work for Womanthology supporters. Now that we're allowed to share it with everyone, here is mine. This one is a short story based on "Archetypes." Elisa Feliz did the pinup above to go with it. Give it a read and let me know what you think!<br />Stay tuned for information about "Womanthology" signings at Emerald Knights, Meltdown and others, and pre-order your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Womanthology-Heroic-Ann-Nocenti/dp/1613771479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327016753&amp;sr=8-1">here</a>.&nbsp; xoxo <br /><br /><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Archetypes: A Christmas Crime"</span></div>&nbsp;<style type="text/css"><!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">The white trim on his suit glowed in the black light. Wait, that seemed odd. What would Santa be doing in a club? Well, it <i>was</i> Los Angeles. The Beverly Hills mall had a shirtless “Hunky Santa” every year, so I guess it's not <i>that </i><span style="font-style: normal;">weird</span>. Right, back to the dream. As he moved through the throbbing, surging crowd of dancers, the pack on his back seemed to be weighing him down. Scene change. A sneering Santa moving around a Christmas tree. He laid down his empty sack in front of the fireplace and eased himself down on the couch to eat the cookies that were left out for him. Empty sack, huh? Oh god...</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Suddenly, it was like someone was ringing the damn jingle bells from his sleigh in her ear. Stupid phone.</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Hello? This had better be good, Prince Charming. I was dreaming.”</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Ha! I <i>knew</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> you still dreamed about me as the Prince.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">Oh shut up. You're married now and I have a crime to report. I think.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">She turned to look at the picture of him next to her bed. You don't dream about Prince archetypes very often. Stupid her for letting this one go. She didn't know how this whole dreaming thing worked back then, but you'd think she would have been smart enough to hold onto him.</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">Alright cop. Here's the deal. I dreamed about Santa...”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">He snorted. “Really? But he's...<br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">I know. He's not an archetype. But he</span><i> is </i><span style="font-style: normal;">a symbol. I guess it makes sense. I don't know. This stupid </span><i>gift </i><span style="font-style: normal;">didn't come with instructions. Also, if this particular Santa shows up in my house, I'm converting.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">She heard laughter on the other line. “From what to what, pretty lady?”</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">He loved teasing her. Princes might be good guys and end up as cops, but they certainly mess with your head. “Couldn't tell what he had in his sack, but it was heavy. He moved through a club with it, then ended up in a house in front of a fire with an empty one.”</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">So what am I looking for here? A guy in a Santa suit who likes dance music, cookies and milk?”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">She sighed. “The Santa symbol means comfort. Presents. Once a year...they leave things at your house...hmm. Any reports of a missing person?”</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">If this is the usual scenario, we'll get one tomorrow. Grandpa got drunk and kidnapped his grandson. Someone killed someone else and dumped them in the chimney. Definitely someone close to them or they wouldn't have let them in. I suppose it's too easy to assume this is a mall Santa?” he said.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">Yeah, well, it's rarely that literal. Good luck with that though.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">Listen, what are you doing for Christmas? Come have dinner with my wife and I. I can't stand the idea of you being alone.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Her heart skipped. She was never going to tell him his wife was the Evil Queen. Sure, she knew exactly what that woman had done to take her Prince away, but he was happy. He might be a flirt, but you could see the love in his eyes when he spoke about her. She'd let him have that a little longer.</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">I have plans.” She didn't. “Have a Merry Christmas though. Goodnight Prince Charming.” She hung up and rolled back up in her blanket. Yeah, let him have a few more weeks of peace. Something big was coming. She felt a dream coming on...</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-59853007418654225552011-11-22T14:52:00.000-08:002011-11-22T14:52:00.917-08:00RIP Anne McCaffery, the single biggest artistic influence on my lifeI really didn't expect to be writing another sad post after the last one, since things have been pretty darn wonderful lately. So I refuse to make this weepy.<br /><br />I just heard on <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/anne-mccaffrey-has-died_b42826">Twitter</a> that author Anne McCaffery passed away. It was like a punch in the gut. I mean, hardly unexpected since she was 85 years old, but still hard to hear.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AAVLKEetmY/TswmDJ8ucNI/AAAAAAAABZE/I9LSxUhNmMU/s1600/anne2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AAVLKEetmY/TswmDJ8ucNI/AAAAAAAABZE/I9LSxUhNmMU/s1600/anne2.jpg" /></a></div><br />I've read every book she's ever written. In fact, her book "Dragonsong" was the first fantasy novel I ever read. I actually remember getting it for Christmas from my mom. I unwrapped the package, and there was Menolly, surrounded by fire lizards on the cover. Tiny dragons! I'd never seen anything like it before!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-togbhMNO9JQ/Tswl2b3Vp2I/AAAAAAAABY0/BzZQdrA4sQI/s1600/Dragonsong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-togbhMNO9JQ/Tswl2b3Vp2I/AAAAAAAABY0/BzZQdrA4sQI/s320/Dragonsong.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br />I was a book fiend as a kid. I learned to read early and I spent so much time at the library that the librarians all knew my name and had a suggestion list for me when I got to the counter. They'd laugh, watching me attempt to carry home a stack of books half my height, knowing I'd be back in a few days for more.<br /><br />But dragons? I hadn't really encountered them yet. When I cracked open the book, I was immediately hooked. Menolly sang. She loved music. She'd do anything to get to do it for a living. She <i>went to a school that taught it!</i> I didn't even know that was possible! She was brave and talented and she "impressed" a slew of fire lizards. I still have that book. At the beginning of one chapter, I wrote, "I wish I was her," in pencil. Considering I ended up going to Syracuse University for musical theater and sang for many years (if you're good, I'll show you my goofy acting reel which has me singing "Evita" and doing a short film of "Star Wars" done by pirates), and <i>then</i> ended up as a writer, you can see what this book did to me.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUDtGOx6Hac/TswnBchHgnI/AAAAAAAABZM/a1SXJ02jPFg/s1600/dragonsinger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUDtGOx6Hac/TswnBchHgnI/AAAAAAAABZM/a1SXJ02jPFg/s1600/dragonsinger.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />I went on to read every one of her books. Strong, powerful women were all over the place in a time when that wasn't really the trend in fantasy. I read many of those books before I really knew what the sex scenes were about! I was definitely too young to read "Dragonflight," but one thing did stand out. Lessa.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ELJKmOXyfGs/Tswl0yLr7yI/AAAAAAAABYs/7ny5_1Cft3s/s1600/200px-AnneMcCaffrey_Dragonflight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ELJKmOXyfGs/Tswl0yLr7yI/AAAAAAAABYs/7ny5_1Cft3s/s1600/200px-AnneMcCaffrey_Dragonflight.jpg" /></a></div><br />This lady was tough. She survived anything. No one gave her shit. I knew when I read it that this was the woman <i>I</i> wanted to be. (Which may explain all the weaponry in my house.) I wanted to walk into a room and have people know I was there. It changed the direction of a very shy little girl's life.<br /><br />So did "Crystal Singer." Another tough lady, who after her singing career comes to an end, goes on to do something even better. When I decided to stop my theater career, I re-read this book, looked at the wider world and marched proudly onto the next thing, just like Killashandra. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V8rkjXFUr_w/Tswl3TMXVsI/AAAAAAAABY8/zJBsWh2eRzw/s1600/Crystal-Singer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V8rkjXFUr_w/Tswl3TMXVsI/AAAAAAAABY8/zJBsWh2eRzw/s320/Crystal-Singer.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><br />Anne's work was directly responsible for my career choices, how I developed my personality, my love of dragons and space ships and so many other things. Reading about how she broke into what was mostly a male dominated genre influenced me in so many ways, they're beyond counting.<br /><br />Anne McCaffery was the single biggest artistic influence in my life. Though her passing is sad, I'm about to celebrate her life by pouring one out and re-reading (for the zillionth time) "Dragonsong." Rest in peace, Dragonlady.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-54047009661611893702011-09-11T10:44:00.000-07:002011-09-11T10:44:01.593-07:00A different sort of memorial...If you've been following my blog for a while, you probably read <a href="http://girlmeetslightsaber.blogspot.com/2010/09/nine-years-ago-today.html">my post about where I was on September 11th</a>.&nbsp; I wrote it last year and it tells the story pretty well.&nbsp; At the time, I wasn't sure why I was doing that particular post on the 9th anniversary.&nbsp; I feel like I should have waited.&nbsp; Now I know why I didn't.<br /><br />It's the tenth anniversary of the tragedy today.&nbsp; Every minute of that day is still painful to think about. The worst part of it all was that I had no idea where my then boyfriend was and I thought he was working near the Empire State Building that day.&nbsp; I couldn't find him for hours.&nbsp; My boss at the time, who was only a few years older than me lost her husband in the second tower.&nbsp; The sadness of that still lingers.<br /><br />I imagined I'd be watching the 9/11 specials and tributes and crying with memories this Sunday.&nbsp; But I can't.&nbsp; Because 8 years ago today I was standing in front of a justice of the peace in a little town in Scotland with that same man, getting married.&nbsp; Just the legal ceremony.&nbsp; The big to-do in a castle with a kilt and bag pipes and a priestess was all the next day.&nbsp; I didn't even dress up for the legal part.&nbsp; But I had no idea how emotional we would all get.&nbsp; Even the sweet old lady reading the vows choked up and had tears in her eyes.&nbsp; So did he.<br /><br />On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I'm sitting with divorce papers on my desk.&nbsp; This was <i>not </i>of my choosing.&nbsp; Not at all...that is a story for another day.&nbsp; So as my heart is breaking into a million shards of broken glass, I can't watch anything about the towers or the aftermath or the terror threats.&nbsp; I can't watch the memorials because I'm having one of my own over the end of a 15 year relationship with the love of my life.<br /><br />That said, I have a lot to be thankful for today.&nbsp; I've recently learned what wonderful, supportive friends and family I have.&nbsp; They say you never really know someone until you go through a tragedy with them.&nbsp; Well, now I've gone through two.&nbsp; If I'd been posting about 9/11 alone, I'd tell you to go home, hug your loved ones and be thankful for what you have.&nbsp; Posting now, with these papers on my desk, the sight of which make my hands shake and my heart drop to the floor, knowing I've probably seen someone I love more than anything in the world for the last time makes me want to scream it from the roof tops.&nbsp; Treasure every moment.&nbsp; You never know when it will be the last.<br /><br />Peace to us all.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-92094629529902774972011-07-07T18:26:00.000-07:002011-07-08T12:27:02.928-07:00Womanthology and my comic book debutUPDATE:&nbsp; We did it!&nbsp; We hit our goal in less than 15 hours!&nbsp; Let's keep going!&nbsp; Here is what happens if we raise more:<br /><br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="" name="WhatWillYouDoIfYouMakeOverYourGoal"><span class="question">What will you do if you make OVER your goal?</span> </a> <br /><div class="faq-answer"> The current Kickstarter goal amount would help us print a small run (1500) of books. This will be 300 page, 9x12, Hardcover, full color book. All money earned goes directly to printing costs and other fees such as postage of the book to all of you fine people! :)<br />Our current goal is 25,000. If we, by some miracle, make OVER that goal, here is what we will do;<br />- Up to 50,000 will mean MORE books printed. Every book printed and sold earns even more for our Charities :) We may even be able to afford a special Womanthology table at a big upcoming con!<br />- 50,000 - 70,000 I will put to funding the printing of ANOTHER Charity book that will bring more opportunity to creators that just need that chance! Not just women this time! :)<br />- Over 70,000 .... if there was a miracle in the universe that would allow us to earn more, my ultimate goal would be an expanded version of what this book is about. To create an organization the supports new creators and their creator owned comics, helps fund them to complete their works, and get them out to major publishers for their chance to shine. The comics industry NEEDS this right now! This would really be a great way to support comics, and help move the industry an all the fantastic creators in it, to brighter, more awesome future!</div><br /><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="380px" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/renaedeliz/womanthology-massive-all-female-comic-anthology/widget/card.html" width="220px"></iframe> </center><br /><br />I am about to write my very first comic!&nbsp; I'm not sure I've ever been this excited!&nbsp; It's all part of Womanthology, an upcoming anthology featuring the work of women in the industry...<i>just</i> women!&nbsp; And damn there are some great ones!&nbsp; Contributors include:<br /><ul><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Simone" target="_blank">Gail Simone</a> ( DC writer, Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Secret Six)</li><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Nocenti" target="_blank">Annie Nocenti </a>( Marvel writer, Dardevil, Editor for Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants)<br /></li><li> <a href="http://tumblr.mingdoyle.com/" target="_blank">Ming Doyle </a>( Boom, Image, Marvel artist)<br /></li><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_K._Grayson" target="_blank">Devin Grayson</a> (DC writer; Batman, Nightwing, New Titans)</li><li> <a href="http://notthepornstar.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Montgomery</a> (Director &amp; Storyboard Artist - Justice League, DC)<br /></li><li> <a href="http://fstaples.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fiona Staples</a> (DC, Wildstorm, IDW , Vertigo artist)<br /></li><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Brigman" target="_blank">June Brigman&nbsp; </a>(Creator; Brenda Starr, Power Pack)</li><li> <a href="http://www.samanthanewark.com/" target="_blank">Samantha Newark </a>(Voice of JEM, Singer/Vocals - God of War, Hook)<br /></li><li> <a href="http://www.grrl.com/" target="_blank">Bonnie Burton</a>( Grrl.com)</li></ul>I've mentioned the wonderful Bonnie Burton before.&nbsp; Check out our interview about her wonderful <i>Star Wars Craft Book </i><a href="http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/834395/star-wars-craft-book-author-bonnie-burton">here</a>.&nbsp; Also, Samantha Newark doesn't know this, but I was just interviewed for the upcoming JEM DVD collection.&nbsp; Showtime Synergy! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="410px" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/renaedeliz/womanthology-massive-all-female-comic-anthology/widget/video.html" width="480px"></iframe></center><br /><br />I'm honored to be working with artist Elisa Feliz, who's work you can check out <a href="http://britney-x.deviantart.com/gallery/">here</a>.&nbsp; No hints on the story yet, but I'm really excited about it!<br /><br />So here is why I'm writing.&nbsp; We need to raise money to get this thing published.&nbsp; (<a href="http://idwpublishing.com/">IDW</a> is doing it for us if we can get the funds.)&nbsp; Do me a favor and check out the video and the website for the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/renaedeliz/womanthology-massive-all-female-comic-anthology?ref=card">Womanthology Kickstarter Project</a>.&nbsp; You can donate as little as a dollar, but there are some really cool rewards for donating more.&nbsp; <i>REALLY cool ones!</i>&nbsp; All the info is in the site so take a look!<br /><br />Also...and this is a thing that's very close to my heart...you're helping inspire young women to pick up a pencil and draw, or write a script for or at the very least read comics.&nbsp; I'll wear my cape in your name.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-61500789613159339102011-06-10T15:27:00.000-07:002011-06-10T15:27:31.390-07:00Lara Croft's Boobs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YnqdoT7mstk/TfKXxQu3rSI/AAAAAAAABB4/KkuVQpW57Ow/s1600/LARA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YnqdoT7mstk/TfKXxQu3rSI/AAAAAAAABB4/KkuVQpW57Ow/s1600/LARA.jpg" /></a></div><br />Here we go again!&nbsp; First it's boob gate (thanks to the very awesome <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/theblairbutler">Blair Butler</a> for coming up with the term), now we have Lara Croft's mammeries to argue about.&nbsp; The most famous pair of video game breasts this side of <i>Soul Calibur</i>'s Ivy are getting a reduction and it's caused quite a few arguments to start on the interwebs.&nbsp; I hit the floor of E3 this week and got a behind-closed-doors look at the upcoming reboot of <i>Tomb Raider</i>.&nbsp; You can read my preview <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/gamenews.php?id=78534">here</a> on Coming Soon for info on game play and why it seems weirdly masochistic, but today I'm talking about boobs.<br /><br /><br /><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kjKl035UFCk/TfKW-LmgpnI/AAAAAAAABBo/a9uy09s-O2I/s1600/IVYIVYIVY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kjKl035UFCk/TfKW-LmgpnI/AAAAAAAABBo/a9uy09s-O2I/s1600/IVYIVYIVY.jpg" /></a></div></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Maybe she uses super glue?</i></div><br />Lara Croft looks very different this time around.&nbsp; Certainly more realistic.&nbsp; Her chest has gone from one that made her look like she would face plant if she stood on her toes to a large B/small C.&nbsp; Some have argued that this is a non-issue, but the truth is, the game has been famous for more than just it's action.&nbsp; There have been nude hacks, posters, fan clubs...even Angelina Jolie had them enhanced (not surgically...don't sue me) for the films.&nbsp; Her breasts are a signature part of the character and there is no way this wasn't going to be noticed.<br /><br />Let me be clear here.&nbsp; I don't care how big or small her chest is.&nbsp; I mentioned it on Twitter and Facebook last night and the discussion was intense. &nbsp; Friendly and intense...I'm not trying to start a war here or imply in any way that there ever was one.&nbsp; I was just really surprised at how many people felt that I should be thrilled by the change.&nbsp; So many, in fact, that I thought I'd share my feelings about it all here.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-orBuplpLq84/TfKYZgfQcWI/AAAAAAAABB8/eVjFN5wQsxQ/s1600/1reboot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-orBuplpLq84/TfKYZgfQcWI/AAAAAAAABB8/eVjFN5wQsxQ/s1600/1reboot.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;The new, less busty Lara Croft.</i></div><br />I have many issues with the way women have been portrayed in film and television.&nbsp; It's changing, of course, but there is a long way to go.&nbsp; I've also had issues with stupid/weak women in video games.&nbsp; There is no way in hell that you could ever call Lara stupid or weak.&nbsp; This goes back to the discussion about sexuality and geek women, and whether or not we need to neuter ourselves to be taken seriously.&nbsp; As the very awesome Jane Espenson told me in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/jane-espenson-on-game-of-_b_867257.html">our interview for Huffington Post</a>, "I like to think of sci fi fans as people who genuinely embrace the idea of infinite diversity in infinite combination. Diversity includes the sexy. It just does. There's no way around that. We are simply going to have to embrace the sexy."&nbsp; Nothing wrong with being sexy AND kick ass.&nbsp; And nothing about being sexy takes away from what you can do with your brain or your sword.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kPeJdMoZe14/TfKXBzqB3gI/AAAAAAAABBs/SdiTXPT61dw/s1600/story.janeadambouska.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kPeJdMoZe14/TfKXBzqB3gI/AAAAAAAABBs/SdiTXPT61dw/s1600/story.janeadambouska.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>The incredibly talented Jane Espenson.</i></div><br />All I care about is game play.&nbsp; I don't care if Ivy's boobs are the size of pumpkins and there is no way they could stay in that strip of tooth floss.&nbsp; That's the unrealistic style of <i>Soul Calibur</i>.&nbsp; I don't think Siegfried could hold a sword that size either.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0i7xXBcpvAI/TfKXEx00EgI/AAAAAAAABBw/DMXZSMOfEHw/s1600/SIEGFRIED.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0i7xXBcpvAI/TfKXEx00EgI/AAAAAAAABBw/DMXZSMOfEHw/s320/SIEGFRIED.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>That's some sword you've got there, Siegfried!&nbsp; Ahem.</i></div><br />I do not ask for realism in video games.&nbsp; I ask for art design.&nbsp; I ask for fun.&nbsp; I ask for object permanence so my feet don't go <i>through</i> the stairs instead of standing on them and my arms don't poke through walls.&nbsp; I ask for fewer fire bats.&nbsp; I ask for kick ass characters.&nbsp; I laughed my ass off when someone told me on Twitter that it was unacceptable that her breasts were so unrealistic.&nbsp; Realistic?&nbsp; Oh, because it's totally realistic to have magic, or carry 50 items (including armor) in an invisible backpack, or to find treasure chests in every household, or to die and respawn or find <i>giant spinning coins lying all over the world</i>.&nbsp; Hedgehogs do not skateboard.&nbsp; Girls in bikinis do not play sexy games on a private island that only you have been invited to.&nbsp; Zombies are not running around, waiting to be taken down.&nbsp; (Well, not yet.&nbsp; I'm prepared for the zombie apocalypse, just in case.)&nbsp; Why the hell should I care if a character has large, <i>unrealistic</i> boobs?&nbsp; I'm not looking to video games to tell me how I should look.&nbsp; And if some guy won't date you because you don't look like Lara Croft...run from him.&nbsp; Hell, he's probably not out of his basement anyway.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OgtK9IAQPfo/TfKXH1Bu3HI/AAAAAAAABB0/dN7zk7XbmPY/s1600/TreasureChest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OgtK9IAQPfo/TfKXH1Bu3HI/AAAAAAAABB0/dN7zk7XbmPY/s320/TreasureChest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>I hope there's a pony inside!</i></div><br />Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.&nbsp; Pontificate below and happy gaming.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-86523443607749322872011-05-17T13:10:00.000-07:002011-05-17T20:46:44.096-07:00Geek and Gamer Girls, We're Unbelievable!Geek girls have been all over the news lately, from Boobgate to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/may-the-force-be-with-kat_b_786657.html">little Katie Goldman who was teased for liking </a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/may-the-force-be-with-kat_b_786657.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars</span></a> (and the unbelievable outpouring of support from geek girls all over the world) to why some people think <span style="font-style: italic;">Game of Thrones</span> is for guys, to whether or not celebrity women are pandering to geeks. I've talked about it. I've discussed it on Twitter and <a href="http://www.geekweek.com/2011/05/comicenter-episode-3.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">ComiCenter</span></a>. I just chatted about it with my very good friend and honorary geek chick <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/elguapo1">George Roush</a> and new buddy <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xByYLtYAm5s">Jennifer Landa</a> on <a href="http://www.mygeeklady.org/"><span style="font-style: italic;">My Geek Lady</span></a>. (Check out the show below.) But I thought it was time to put my feelings down, if not on paper, than on the web.<br /><br /><center><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="clip_embed_player_flash" data="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/archive_embed_player.swf" bgcolor="#000000" height="300" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/archive_embed_player.swf"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="auto_play=false&amp;start_volume=25&amp;title=MY GEEK LADY&amp;channel=geekweek&amp;archive_id=286102072"></object><br /><a href="http://www.justin.tv/geekweek#r=-rid-&amp;s=em" class="trk" style="padding:2px 0px 4px; display:block; width: 320px; font-weight:normal; font-size:10px; text-decoration:underline; text-align:center;">Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv</a></center><br />I think it's easy to dismiss us because the prevailing feeling out there is that being a female geek is still an unusual thing. I still have men look at me in shock when I tell them I play <span style="font-style: italic;">World of Warcraft </span>(to be fair, I might be mistaking that for what is really shock that I leave the house <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> play <span style="font-style: italic;">World of Warcraft). </span>Not so very long ago, I told the producers of a show on a major gaming network that I love video games and comic books and they called me a unicorn. Rare, they explained, because I don't look like a troll and I know what a drow is. This from a network that regularly hires geek women.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MR4h9aRrSI/TdM-MKqfGII/AAAAAAAAA8Q/Bn2WnrkUb70/s1600/111Drow_001.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MR4h9aRrSI/TdM-MKqfGII/AAAAAAAAA8Q/Bn2WnrkUb70/s320/111Drow_001.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607894339748305026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this, you probably know what a drow is too.</span><br /></div><br />Now, I don't say this to slam them. Not at all. Our culture tells us that women who aren't ugly shouldn't have deep interests of any sort. Yes, my friends, I am prepared for the shit storm that sentence is going to cause. But look at <span style="font-style: italic;">which</span> geek girls are being targeted as panderers and betrayers of their sex. There are posts about how women who cosplay as Slave Leia or characters with any sort of sex appeal shouldn't be taken seriously. (Read Bonnie Burton's fantastic <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonniegrrl/5727486983/sizes/o/in/photostream/">post on SFX</a> about this.) There are posts about how hot, famous chicks couldn't possibly be into geek stuff. They're just talking about it to get guys to think they're cool. (Oh my, how the worm has turned.)<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMWfG9uBmHk/TdM-MQLZKcI/AAAAAAAAA8g/ZD0mkY04Ukg/s1600/111slave_leia_image_carrie_fisher_s.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMWfG9uBmHk/TdM-MQLZKcI/AAAAAAAAA8g/ZD0mkY04Ukg/s320/111slave_leia_image_carrie_fisher_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607894341228505538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">As Bonnie Burton said, Slave Leia strangled Jabba all by herself...in a metal bikini. Hardly a weak woman.</span><br /></div><br />Now, this reminds me of a few of my feminist friends...and yes, I proudly identify myself as a feminist...back in college who told me I couldn't be a feminist and wear makeup/be a makeup artist/do my hair/care about my appearance, etc. As though being attractive disqualifies you from being smart or caring about anything. Of cooourse. Attractive women don't <span style="font-style: italic;">have </span>to have interests. People give them things as soon as they bat their painted lashes. Interests and hobbies are for people who don't have social lives or mascara, and have to occupy their hours with comic books because no one will talk to them. Apparently you don't count as a feminist/geek if you fall into that category.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AYf5kn7CnXg/TdM-MItpIEI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/c0ZL5B2Qjyg/s1600/111girl-geek.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AYf5kn7CnXg/TdM-MItpIEI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/c0ZL5B2Qjyg/s320/111girl-geek.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607894339224674370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's not a stereotype that will disappear any time soon. And it does exist for a reason. I'm not saying no one out there has ever pandered or used liking something to look cool/get guys/land jobs. But I'm sorry, I can decorate my face and still want equal pay for equal work. I can talk about having boobs (I'm sure you read the post where amazing blogger Jill Pantozzi was called out for naming her blog <a href="http://www.thenerdybird.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Has Boobs, Reads Comics</span></a>) and dress in sexy costumes and still be able to talk about comics and video games with conviction.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--CyhBSt-gMM/TdM-M83V_sI/AAAAAAAAA8w/MJXJbepED_I/s1600/1111geek-gamer-girls-t.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--CyhBSt-gMM/TdM-M83V_sI/AAAAAAAAA8w/MJXJbepED_I/s320/1111geek-gamer-girls-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607894353224007362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So where does that leave us? Well, there is very little we can do about the guys and what they say or think, other than to continue to have the conversation. But there is something we can do about our own community from the inside. We can support each other. We don't need to be tearing each other apart from within. Calling each other out for names of blogs and threatening to punch a fellow geek in <a href="http://synthesis.net/2011/05/03/having-tits-and-liking-spider-man-isnt-shocking-anymore/">''her stupid boobs''</a> is not helping. Telling someone that the way <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm</span> a geek is far more legitimate than the way <span style="font-style: italic;">you're</span> a geek isn't either.<br /><br />Something that I mentioned on the ComiCenter podcast is the difference between geeks. There are the exclusionary geeks who say, ''I know this really cool thing about Batman and you're an idiot because you don't,'' and the more welcoming sort who say, ''I know this really cool thing about Batman. Do you want to know too? That way we can geek out together.'' I'm hoping we're moving towards the second sort. Maybe we stop judging those who might have just entered the world of comics because of <span style="font-style: italic;">Iron Man</span> or<span style="font-style: italic;"> Thor</span>, or just read <span style="font-style: italic;">Watchmen</span> for the first time. They can be just as excited as those who read it years ago. Or those who didn't start playing video games with Pong. Are they less legit because they're new? Do you remember the first time you read <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lord of the Rings</span>? The wonder you felt? It is possible to feel the same thing, even if you only read it after the trilogy came out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FqugfvSiak/TdM-h8xt4YI/AAAAAAAAA84/oYsHvyzQBKI/s1600/IMG_0036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FqugfvSiak/TdM-h8xt4YI/AAAAAAAAA84/oYsHvyzQBKI/s320/IMG_0036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607894713977659778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me in the Owl Ship. I like it more than my Honda.</span><br /></div><br />So this is what we do. We support <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> types of geeks. We welcome new ones to our ranks. We stay vocal about what we love and support films/TV shows/blogs that reflect our interests. And we geek out in any way we want, whether that means auditioning for geek shows, playing with plastic lightsabers, tattooing our arms with geek symbols, posting in the Facebook group the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_208696055816733&amp;id=217504988269173&amp;notif_t=group_activity">League of Extraordinary Ladies</a>, dressing up as either Slave Leia <span style="font-style: italic;">or</span> Senator Leia and not judging either way, using our extensive knowledge of Middle Earth to impress a guy (no, that does NOT make you less legitimate), carrying our dogeared copies of <span style="font-style: italic;">Dragonsong</span> proudly on the subway, tweeting the Daffy Duck version of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Green Lantern</span> oath...be proud and loud about your geekiness, ladies. We are everywhere.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-StbnmHjZ0/TdM-MvIwGrI/AAAAAAAAA8o/xQHMz_YL2us/s1600/1111greenlanterndaffy"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-StbnmHjZ0/TdM-MvIwGrI/AAAAAAAAA8o/xQHMz_YL2us/s320/1111greenlanterndaffy" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607894349538925234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="messageBody">''In Blackest Day or Brightest Night...um, watermelon, cantalope, yada yada...a superstitious and cowardly lot...with liberty and justice for all!''</span><br /></div>Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-25055262919083347782011-03-01T16:55:00.000-08:002011-03-01T17:05:18.861-08:00New Blog!!!!Hey everyone!<br /><br />Just wanted to let you know that I started a new blog called "Did You See That Stupid Commerical?" As I told a friend of mine, it was either that or throw a shoe at my television.<br /><br />So far I've taken on the stupid "Ankle Show" Old Navy commercials, talking cereal and the dual bathtubs in the Cialis ads.<br /><br />Take a look by clicking <a href="http://didyouseethatstupidcommercial.blogspot.com/2011/03/you-cant-have-sex-in-dual-bathtubs.html">HERE</a> and let me know what you think. If you like it, please subscribe. And feel free to leave ideas for commercials you'd like me to take on. I can promise only one thing. I won't be kind.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WatYdEF3kTY/TW2XoqMn7pI/AAAAAAAAA0g/psYIRQvx3NM/s1600/potted%2Bmeat"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WatYdEF3kTY/TW2XoqMn7pI/AAAAAAAAA0g/psYIRQvx3NM/s320/potted%2Bmeat" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579282238159711890" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br />XO JennaJenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999102528225995784.post-40894589304889540272011-02-26T22:30:00.000-08:002011-02-26T23:16:48.121-08:00TV Guilty PleasuresMy name is Jenna and I watch some weird-ass television. I blame it on those dangerous holiday marathons. I work at home a lot, you know. I sit in my pj's with a glass of wine, banging away on the keys and in the background is whatever marathon they have playing.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGNDVO4xUhw/TWn5CMoth0I/AAAAAAAAA0A/scNss8KurC8/s1600/funny-pictures-kitten-is-watching-television-and-will-do-your-task-later.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGNDVO4xUhw/TWn5CMoth0I/AAAAAAAAA0A/scNss8KurC8/s320/funny-pictures-kitten-is-watching-television-and-will-do-your-task-later.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578263429622105922" border="0" /></a></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I have been known to watch soap operas. Don't judge.</span><br /></div><br />Last year, <span style="font-style: italic;">Deadliest Catch</span> sucked me in. I'm a vegetarian for frak's sake! How can I spend hours on end watching unwashed men scream at each other while catching pounds of crabs? <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NsFusI7upDY/TWn3J-93P3I/AAAAAAAAAzg/9VhSRQZsxwk/s1600/Captain%2BPhil"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NsFusI7upDY/TWn3J-93P3I/AAAAAAAAAzg/9VhSRQZsxwk/s320/Captain%2BPhil" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578261364368424818" border="0" /></a></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">R.I.P. Captain Phil. Sniff.</span><br /></div><br />This Halloween it was <span style="font-style: italic;">Ghost Adventures</span>. I've said it before, but I got to go hunting with the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ghost Hunters</span> at the <a href="http://www.geekweek.com/2010/01/ghost-hunters-international-returns-to-scare-the-pants-off-you.html">Stanley Hotel</a> (yeah, that's the <span style="font-style: italic;">Shining</span> hotel and creepy as hell) in a group with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/amanda-tapping-launches-c_b_350257.html">Amanda Tapping</a>. I've been unable to resist ghost hunting shows ever since. I started watching because lead investigator Zak Bagans looks like a good buddy of mine. (Fellow journos, you KNOW who I'm talking about.) Now I can't stop.<br /><br /><center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CqMRmbLIU00/TWn3MLIQ2kI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Sd1OZDq_cH0/s1600/Zak%2BGhost%2BAdventures"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CqMRmbLIU00/TWn3MLIQ2kI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Sd1OZDq_cH0/s320/Zak%2BGhost%2BAdventures" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578261401993009730" border="0" /></a></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm going to jump on the band wagon and tease him about the incubus/succubus thing. See? If you watched, you'd know what I mean by that!</span><br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tv/Spartacus-Lawless-DeKnight-Whitfield-100122.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Spartacus: Blood and Sand</span></a> and it's prequel<span style="font-style: italic;"> Spartacus: Gods of the Arena</span> may be soft core porn, but it's gladiators, ancient Rome and Lucy Lawless. It's unapologetic and violent and I love every dirty, salacious minute of it. Come on, it's boobs, blood and ancient fluffers! Also, I want to create a drinking game based on the number of times they say "absent."<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--LlpUDJu5yg/TWn3LjrcIII/AAAAAAAAAzw/8RKZyM8lmmI/s1600/spartacus_blood_and_sand.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--LlpUDJu5yg/TWn3LjrcIII/AAAAAAAAAzw/8RKZyM8lmmI/s320/spartacus_blood_and_sand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578261391403131010" border="0" /></a></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh Andy. Get well soon!</span><br /></div><br />Since I'm avoiding work tonight by watching Zak tell spirits who their daddy is, I got to thinking about guilty TV pleasures. You know, those shows you're embarrassed to tell people you love. The ones that make them sneer at you and roll their eyes...to cover up for the fact that they weep through <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bachelor.<br /><br /><center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNti4BhTPTY/TWn3LQHwFNI/AAAAAAAAAzo/cifRVffSWwU/s1600/ironchef.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNti4BhTPTY/TWn3LQHwFNI/AAAAAAAAAzo/cifRVffSWwU/s320/ironchef.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578261386153170130" border="0" /></a></center></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I really, really miss the Japanese </span>Iron Chef<span style="font-style: italic;">. The dubbing was priceless. "Oh, the carrots feel so luxurious in my mouth!"</span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>So what are yours? My goal is to expose us all for the goofballs we are. I posted the request on <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/JennaBusch">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1231353917">Facebook</a> 10 minutes ago and already I have over 20 different entries. Leave me your guilty pleasure in the comments or on either one of those sites. I'll post the results next week. Come on. It will feel so good to know you're not the only one.Jenna Buschhttps://plus.google.com/109388214306197062663noreply@blogger.com2